Mind Games
by Twisted Fate MK 2
Summary: ((Redux of Telepathy)) Jaune Arc's awakened Semblance comes with a greater gift as well. The ability to not only read minds, but intent as well. Now what, pray tell, should he do with such a potent ability?
1. Aura Get'

**Twisted~ So, it's been a great, great while since I wrote… Well, anything, on here. I've been busy as hell on my Youtube projects and school, and work, to do much else than those things. Then I got sick, and bah, but I'm okay now. Everything seems to be leveling out at this point, at least for a while, in my life.**

 **Now, I have learned a lot from my recent ventures. Bad endings, good endings, a touch of story structuring, an ungodly freaking call out by Couer al Aran…. This is where I recommend you go see him, but I've no doubt everyone here has already done so. That has been fanfiction thus far…**

 **In real life, I got a new job, injured my arm permanently, lost two grandfathers, and am founding a Youtube group with some of my best friends… Shit has gotten very real, very fast. Told you before, but they are called the Temple Walkers. Check us out, would you?**

 **Anyways, time to get back to it. Might not update as fast as I would like, but such is life. Got overeager and rushed shit in the past, endings and**

 **story lines alike, and it always goes south. Hope you enjoy.**

 **Mika~ Oh my. It's been a while, hasn't it~!**

 **Twisted~ Been a bit, yeah.**

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"I release your soul and, by my shoulder, protect thee." Pyrrha almost sighs quietly, collapsing towards him with a gasp and hanging onto him for a moment before her legs could hold her, " Our Aura strengthens and protects us, Jaune, and now your own power protects you." _"And were we to be wholly honest…. You need the help, in spades."_

She took a few steps away, turning and breathing deeply while Jaune absorbed her words quietly. He wasn't about to call her a liar, even if her comment had felt a tad more insulting than he thought was entirely needed, since she was completely correct…. But her voice had bothered him. Not her tone, but the actual sound of her voice making the words. It had warbled, almost like… an echo underwater. Distorted almost beyond recognition, even if he had understood her perfectly.

It was odd, so much so that he opened his mouth to ask her to repeat herself, when they heard several branches snapping nearby and both jumped, literally in Pyrrha's case. Jaune turned, shield snapping out in time with Pyrrha's own, who stood in front of him. A large Ursa stood by a tree at the far end of the narrow clearing, leering at them with vicious, red eyes.

"Jaune, stay behind me. I can handle one Ursa Major, just stay back until I can teach you how to use your Aura as a shield," Jaune took a step back, hesitantly lifting his shield and looking at Pyrrha's back. "If more show, however, you must withdraw. I can lure them to a more open area, and eliminate them far more easily." _"Damn, Aura's still low from awakening him, and Jaune can't help me against Majors without us knowing his Semblance… Have to buy time to-"_

Then those emerald eyes turned from him to the beast in front of them, and the warbled voice dropped to a low murmur, almost a whisper, and Jaune understood what was happening- assuming his sanity was intact of course. His Semblance.… He could hear others' thoughts, reach into the one place _no one_ was ever meant to go, and pluck intent and motive from their very brains.

But in that same instance, he realize something else. He was in a _stance_ , sword back at an angle, shield firm in his grasp and pressed almost against his shoulder, his lead foot forward. It wasn't his stance, he always led with his sword, shield back and off to the side, so he could hit with it faster. It wasn't until Pyrrha stepped fully in front of him that he realised it. It was _her_ stance, not his. He'd mirrored it entirely on instinct.

And a third realisation, as he stared into the massive Grimm's hate filled eyes…. More whispers, much like his new partner's, only more muted. More guttural and base, echoing in the spaces between his thoughts, his body and the Ursa. He realised it a moment later, lowering his shield slightly and looking at the beast as it quirked its head to the side in curiosity. They weren't thoughts that he was feeling, or hearing, they were orders. Mandates. Right now, it was to wait while several other Ursai came to its aid, to intimidate them into waiting for its support.

"Pyrrha, it's waiting on its friends to back it up. If we stand here and wait until it makes a move, we'll be surrounded." Jaune said quietly, stepping around her slightly and standing beside her.

"What?" She squeaked quietly in surprise, lowering her guard slightly and giving her new partner a surprised look, "That's quite a plan to attribute to the Grimm, is it not?" _"Grimm don't make plans like that, they just run onto our spears until the weight of their mass presses us back…."_ "What gives you that idea?"

"Long story, Pyrrha. Just…." he sighed quietly, turning and smiling at her lightly, "We're partners now, Pyr, we have to trust each other. I'm asking you to trust me on this, we have to attack it now. Then we run for it."

Pyrrha smiled at him, stepping back slightly and falling into a defensive position behind him, that odd voice falling to a whisper again. "As you say, Jaune. I shall follow your lead then, just tell me what you want of me and it shall be done- so long as I am able." _"Though I don't believe you can fight it…."_

"You're the stronger fighter, can you take it out quickly?" He smiled at her nod, stepping to the side slightly, "Then do it, and then we'll try to run."

She nods, locking her shield against her arm and striding forward confidently, sword held back, elbow almost parallel to her waist and blade pointed forward, ready to thrust into an unwary belly or face. The Ursa, sensing the time of fighting drawing close, lumbered forward, spikes along its back scratching the wood of the trees as it lumbered and chest rumbling lowly in anger. Red eyes filled with hate swapped between the duo a few times, before finally deciding the redhead to be the larger threat. Lifting its head high, it roared defiantly at the Spartan woman's approach.

She shot forward when she got close enough, blade slashing across the creature's left arm, and leaping away when it snarled and smashed an arm through the air where she'd been. It lumbered after her and, with a casual flick and a few steps back, she extended her sword into a moderately long spear. The Ursa lumbered, angry over the painful wound, its instincts demanding human blood greedily. She took a step back, measuring the distance and its steps as it came, the numbers and ease flowing through her and into Jaune like water from a river.

And he drank it up greedily, though he didn't see another choice without understanding more of his newly found Semblance, since he was certain that's what this was. It had to be, there wasn't a better explanation.

Pyrrha's spear lashed out, flicking up and into the Ursa's jaw easily, and she grunted as she jerked it free and let the beast fall. She turned to him with a smile, shifting her blade back into sword form and relaxing slightly, "There, now shall we go, Jaune?" _"Even if he's wrong about more coming from prior to our fight, they would likely had heard the roars. Best to retreat now."_

He nodded and ran after her when she turned and took off at a light jog, wondering what he should do next. And thinking of a few avenues of research he needed to go into to figure out just how his Semblance worked.

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Twisted~ So, just a short sort of intro. Hope you enjoy. Please Review with notes and the like.


	2. Thinking Out Loud'

**Twisted~ First, responses to Reviews. Also, please consider making an account, so I may respond to people directly. I've noticed a lot of people do that and I want to start doing it myself.**

 **Mika - *sharpens knives loudly* Don't mind me, everyone. Just reading reviews and giving them my regards.**

 **Twisted~ Put the knives down or I'll hide all the step stools and put your sweets on the top shelf.**

 **Mika - Twisted. Sweetie. *Grabs him by the shoulder* I will rip you apart if you touch my sweeties.**

 **Twisted ~ *chuckles and stays quiet***

 **Mika- *Gives a level smile as I pull a chainsaw out***

 **Twisted~ Help. Me. Please. Send everyone!**

 **Mika- Fufu~... hahaha… HAHAHAHA.**

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 **Guest 1 :**

 **Twisted ~ Yes, some dirty humor will exist. Not a shite ton, but enough for comedic relief, especially when people develop feelings for Jaune. *points at Pyrrha***

 **Graven Image:**

 **Twisted ~ Yeah, I could understand some people being uncomfortable or disliking the original. I personally don't like crack fics either, so I always understood. That's a large part of the remake's existence, were I to be honest.**

 **Dragoon109:**

 **Twisted ~ Not normally, no. But as I hinted, he reads intent and emotion as well as thought. Ergo, others influence his mental state mildly. Pyrrha is calm, he is calmed by that.**

 **Rain XIX:**

 **Twisted ~ Hehe, lotta hate for my original~ Kinda hurts me feelings, if I'm honest. But yeah, I get what you mean. Or what I assume you mean. I hope you enjoy this one much more.**

 **How-not-to-do-things:**

 **Twisted ~ Yep, lots of creative ideas for abusing. But most of its talent is in what you say, my friend.**

 **Guest 2:**

 **Twisted ~ There isn't an end. Shit went down too fast, I didn't have time for it. All I ever had was a basic storyboard on it, where Jaune ends up sleeping with all his girls (which end up being Weiss, Blake, Ruby, Pyrrha and Nora to an extent) then they team up and beat Cinder up.**

 **Mika - *Backs out of the room slowly* TheoriginalwascompletelyTwisted'sidea,yupyup.**

 **Twisted ~ Oi!**

 **Mika - Hey~!**

 **Twisted~ You were the smut lead, not me!**

 **Saint Michael:**

 **Twisted ~ According to what I can find, that would be the way Pyrrha would have said it. Practicing at that, she talks funny.**

 **Limz:**

 **Twisted ~ Yep. It's less focused on just ridiculousness, more so on story.**

 **Now, hopefully, this will be up sooner rather than later**

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Jaune was terrified right now, he could feel it deep down. In his core. He had been nervous enough before he stepped out of the locker room, enough so that he'd forgotten to zip his pants. Then he'd seen their method of actually _getting_ to the testing grounds and it had gotten worse. Still, he'd been more nervous than afraid, thinking they were testing their resolve, or had limiting fields in place or something. Then, flying through the air, he'd been scared enough to scream, but Pyrrha had pinned him to a tree- likely saved his life, as well.

But then he'd met the first Grimm he'd ever seen, and felt terror. In the back of his mind, at least. But he'd been calm, spoken calmly, and acted calmly. He'd freaking read Pyrrha's _thoughts_ and been just fine, rolled on as though nothing had happened. That sort of calm, that _discipline_ … that wasn't Jaune. That was Pyrrha. He could feel her mental state, and it washed his own down until he could breathe and walk normally, enough that he could drown his own feelings in a sea of hers.

 _"He's still staring... I would much prefer a fight with more Ursai than this."_ She tossed a look over her shield-arm's shoulder, and he waved meekly at her. She smiled back before turning back, _"He's not even ogling my rear, as most men have been wont to do until now. Is he some sort of deviant with a hair fascination?"_

He sighed quietly, enough that she couldn't hear, and kept staring. He had to look at her for it to work, he'd looked away twice and each time almost panicked when the emotions rushed back to him, like a man to air after nearly drowning. He flinched back slightly, blinking. He was even beginning to _think_ similarly to her now, along with moving and feeling as she was. Could doing this be dangerous in that aspect? And now the fear was worse, under Pyrrha's calm, at the back of his mind.

"Jaune?" Pyrrha called quietly, looking over her shoulder again, "How did you know the Ursa was waiting for reinforcements?" _"With a locked Aura, I'm certain you're at best a novice. There's no chance you have better training regarding Grimm instincts and behaviors than I do."_

"Uh, well… I grew up with a bit of a physical sickness, made training my body hard when I was younger. So my family didn't want me to train as a Hunter. I told them I wanted to be a teacher instead, at one of the smaller academies." He shrugged, smiling nervously at her and rubbing the back of his neck, "So they bought me books about Grimm instead of swords and armor."

"So you lied?" _"Deceptive actions lead to deceptive lives, at every turn."_ She asked, her voice calm and curious. Her thoughts, however, were far more barbed and prickly.

"No, I do intend to teach some day, and will need this knowledge to do it. I just intend to use it to defend people for a while first, so I can learn the Grimm through practice as well as science." Which was true, if only because most Huntsmen eventually became teachers after a couple decades of working as Hunters, to train the next era of their ilk.

"I see." _"So a deceit of coincidence... Is that not still deceit though?"_ Pyrrha ducked under a low hanging branch, holding it so Jaune could do the same and walking next to him, only just in front for his defence, "So it is less a lie, and more an eventual truth?"

"Yeah, I guess you could say that." He smiled at her and, a good sign, she smiled back and he sensed she truly felt satisfied by his answers. They walked in silence for several minutes, their armor clinking and the noise of the forest were all that one of them could hear. The other could hear thoughts from his new partner, and emotions from far ahead of them, an ocean of them.

And they weren't happy ones. They were angry and dark, filled with hate that washed towards him like a gust of heat. It stunned him, and he staggered back slightly clutching at his head under the torrent, the sheer malignance making his legs turn to jelly.

"Jaune?!" Pyrrha asked in concern, taking a knee and pulling him against her for support, bracing her shield-arm behind his back and holding his shoulder. "Jaune, are you well?"

Ignoring her, unable to even feel her mind at this point, he looked ahead of them. A pack of four Beowolves, larger and more armored than normal as far as he knew, with massive arms rippling with muscle under their fur and thin and light bone plates on their backs and forearms and legs, scarred from conflicts long since passed. Their eyes narrowed onto him, boring into him and fixing him to the spot, and he felt the echo of direction towards him, like a nudge from a mile away. Telling them to hunt.

Telling the Grimm to hunt _him_ down, directing them at him. "Jaune." His face was pulled to Pyrrha's gently, a gloved hand gripping his chin tightly, "Is this your sickness acting against you? As you told me?" _"I had thought him mended… Damn it, this isn't good."_

"Y-Yeah, I have sudden… migraines, I guess you'd call it." He let her pull him up, drawing his sword in a shaky hand and trying to force himself upright properly, "They… They used to be a lot worse, I'd be unconscious for days. Now I just get bowled over on occasion, but I'm fine now."

"Good, because I shan't be able to protect you if you can't move. Not against this manner of force." Pyrrha advised, stepping in front of him without hesitation and raising her shield, sword shifting into a spear and sliding into the inlet on the side of the shield defensively, "I will require you to defend yourself while I slay the beasts." _"This is how we meet our deaths, I suppose… Without a second fighter, I can't handle this many Alphas."_

"I... I can fight too, Pyrrha. I know enough to defend myself, just worry about yourself." She looked over her shoulder, and he gave her a brave enough smile, which she returned warmly before looking back.

"Very well. May the Gods guide our blades and hearts, then." _"Some courage… I am glad for it, it is nice to see a man willing to face death on his feet."_ He swallowed nervously, hearing her voice echo their doom when she turned back and took a step forward, advancing at the slowly encircling Grimm, "To battle!"

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"Why are there Alphas of that caliber in the forest?" Glynda half-snarled, gripping her mug hard enough to almost break the reinforced and treated ceramite in her distress, "I understand the students are a bit further south than they ought to be, but even so, the Grimm shouldn't' be such a large threat as a pack of Alphas."

"And why track these two specifically? Doesn't make a lot of sense to me that they'd avoid three other groups with weaker fighters to go after those kids." Qrow's voice crackled on the Scroll, watching from some room in a random inn outside Vale, "Do I need to started headin' their way? I can be there in about an hour if I go as the crow flies."

"No. Not yet, at least. Pulling you in would cause a ripple if Miss Rose or Miss Xiao Long were to find out about it, and we need to avoid that if our other suspicions ring true." Ozpin said quietly, reclining in his chair and watching the screen, "Glynda, if they prove unable to deal with this threat, how quickly can you have assistance to them?"

"I can have a squadron of our Atlesian Knight Mark Ones there by Bullhead in five minutes, and I will accompany them." She said quickly, plucking her Scroll from the table, "I can cut that by half if they are readied and loaded onto a Bullhead already, but that may cause alarm with current students."

"If questions arise, simply say that Grimm activity along the southern patch of our initiation area is too high for our novices to handle. Also, enlist team BLCK on a mission to clear out Grimm in that area." Glynda nodded, standing up and moving towards the elevator without another word, and Ozpin turned to regard Qrow, "As for you, any report on who orchestrated the attack on Fall?"

"Not really. I didn't recognize 'em at the time, and my contacts only know the one." A file popped up on Ozpin's Scroll, and he diverted it into a folder to review after the call ended, "Short version, he's an old assassin's kid. Lost his legs, no one knows how, but that helped me identify him. He's the dangerous sort of criminal, the kind that only cares about his paycheck."

"Nothing on the others?" Ozpin asked quietly, lifting his mug and sipping at the cooling tea.

"Not a thing, aside from a rumor about the green haired one. A thief from Vacuo, except everyone always remembers the person who was robbed handing her the item." He shrugged nonchalantly, sighing and causing the line to crackle lightly, "Aside from that? Nothing."

"Keep searching for now, along with looking for Spring. Winter is under Atlesian protection, for now, and Summer is safe enough in Mistral for us to consider worrying for her tertiary." Ozpin sighed, leaning forward and pressing a few buttons on his Scroll, "I am sending you some contact information for Hunstmen in the area. Task them for Grimm clearing, the funds for it will be made available."

"Understood. And what about the tin man? Gonna call him?" Qrow asked gratingly, rolling his eyes from the other end of the call, "You know some Specialists would be damned useful to you, so why don't you-"

"We don't need Atlesian Huntsmen here, Qrow. Further, that would raise a great many concerns for the Council. Concerns I can't lay to rest without revealing certain secrets that you know would at best cause my dismissal. At worst, my imprisonment." Ozpin said dismissively, closing his eyes and sighing, "And I can't allocate enough funds to you to pay for it without raising those same suspicions, along with suspicions of Atlesian sympathizers."

"Yeah, I got it... Dust, I hate politics." He sighed, and in the background Ozpin could see him moving around the hotel room he'd been in for the conversation, "I'll need five-hundred up-front for the guys I have in mind, though."

"It'll be in your account." The other man nodded and Ozpin ended the call, reclining in his chair and opening the file on the silver-haired boy to peruse. Silently, he mused on how threatening Salem's pawns were, if this boy wasn't even one of her leaders. Not a pretty thought, to say the least.

He turned his attention back to the forest, eyes narrowing slightly. He needed a few more back up plans, just to be safe. And if the blonde was drawing Salem's direct ire… Perhaps he should watch him, for considerations.

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"No, no, no, you moron, put the red crystals in the _red_ case. I mean honestly, how hard is that to understand? Are you freaking color blind?" The Wolf Faunus huffed, walking away to put the crystals where he'd been told, and Roman sighed rolling his eyes and looking at Neo, "Honestly, where do they get these guys?"

The small girl shrugged, laying on a crate and watching a movie boredly, until they both heard the clicking of heels, "We find them on the streets, where we found you as well, Roman. If you recall." Cinder stepped into view, smiling at him chillingly, and turned to survey the wall of crates, "My Mistress wants you to gather some information for her."

"Your…?" He paused when she gave him a look and coughed nervously, Neo hopping down to stand next to him protectively, "What sorry shit has her attention?"

"A blonde student at Beacon Academy. Wears light armor, carries a shield and sword, and is in the new class. Find out who he is, and how we can get to him." She smiled at him, turning around slightly and looking at the door, "We need new pawns, after all, and she's… interested in something she noticed about him recently."

"What kind of thing caught the attention of whoever can control _you_?" He asked curiously, twirling his cane absently, "Has to be pretty bad ass, by my thinking, to draw even your attention. But your _boss_? That sounds even harder to do."

"Just do as you're told, I don't care what you _think_ about him. She wants him found out about and captured, unharmed. Then you turn him over to me, and I will handle the rest." She raised a brow at him, giving Neo a glance, "And if she hurts him too badly, I'll kill her. Understood?"

Roman ground his teeth for a moment, glaring at her, and Cinder gazed at him coolly in return. "She won't hurt him unless he fights back."

"Then make him not wish to fight back." Cinder said dismissively, "Come up with something, Roman, I don't care what. At the worst, he's a teenage boy. I'm sure any rather attractive woman in the Fang could be used to lure him to our side. Or Neo herself, even."

"I… Can think of a few people in the Fang I can use for that. But I'm sure that won't be how I do it, so relax." She nods at his answer, walking to the door, and he watches her leave. "Neo, find out who the hell she was talking about? I could use more than 'blonde guy with a sword'."

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 **Twisted~ So, there's my second chapter. Thoughts? Also, likely on Monday, I will have my first Fallout LP up! Excitement~ Anyways, experimenting with a few ideas here and foreshadowing some shiz~**


	3. Airlift

**Review Responses:**

 **Zenith:**

 **Twisted~ Don't worry, there's a reason. Rather simple with some thought to a few other comments made in chapter.**

 **(Guest) Agent M:**

 **Twisted ~ First, thanks for giving me a name to use. Makes addressing you easier. Second, beyond even that, think of the uses for him. Just… think of it.**

 **Deep Sea Diver Man:**

 **Twisted~ Balancing this between everything else and Youtube, so I dunno how regular it'll be 'til my starts running up a bit. But I appreciate the support.**

 **(Guest) Neo Fan:**

 **Twisted~ I won't confirm or deny any ships. I will only say that Neo is bae, and all who agree may stay.**

 **(Guest) Guy Who Hates Furries**

 **Twisted~ Nah, no Faunusing anyone in this one. Or is there~?**

 **(Guest) Grinning Guy**

 **Twisted~ :D**

 **Garoorar:**

 **Twisted~ Think about Salem for a moment. Her Grimm Hivemind, which is how I interpret this whole thing working, tells her a complete novice read its intent and advised another on it. In other words, he knew the impossible and spoke it in front of the Ursa. Salem may not know** _ **how**_ **he knew that, but she is curious to find out. And she has operatives in Vale and, soon enough, Beacon as well. So why not sate that curiosity?As for tone, it won't be Grimmdark, at least any more than the show proper. And there will be a lot of lightness to it as well. I'm merely… Painting with a broader brush than before. I won't off half the cast, but some may still die. I won't wipe out half a Kingdom, but an attack may still occur. See? All I can ask is that you give it a chance, my friend. And if you like truly light experiences, check out my Youtube. All that will be outside our original content is lols.**

 **Nine Lives Bladeworks:**

 **Twisted~ From Pyrrha's thoughts and inference, plus me slightly tweaking events. Feels kind of dumb to have someone living on a planet not know key aspects of its culture, neh?**

 **Kifo So:**

 **Twisted~ Practicing at her. She talks funny. Tips on that?**

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 **Twisted~ So, binge-writing this over a weekend. My only mildly consistent times I can write are on weekends right now, Monday through Friday is taken up by the Temple Walkers. So while I'll try and be consistent, I can't promise a massive amount of that until Friday. Though if you check that out and have us play a game you like, I suppose that would count for a stable stream?**

 **Also, thanks for all the reviews and support, I didn't think I'd explode that quick on this. It's rather nice, I just wish this would go to other things I'm doing to. But meh, take what you can get, yes?**

 **Also, this should be the last, or next to last, uber-serious Jaune part. I will still have seriousness in the background, but aside from that, it will mostly be humor and fun on Jaune's part. Nothing ridiculous, mind, but still less serious while he's attending courses.**

 **Cinder, Roman, Ozpin and the like, though, won't be. That may be where a lot of plot comes in for a short while, at least while I do the humorous bits. I want a realistic story, but I won't go Grimmderp in this. Feel free to ask if that's happening, though. You guys keep me on task.**

 **As always, enjoy the story, drop a Review, and so on. And remember, I have a Youtube Channel~ They make me whore myself out about it… XD**

 **Mika- Speak for yourself. Help me out of these heels, alright? XD**

 **Twisted~ Hey, you're the one who went to the ruddy corner. All of your own volition.**

 **Mika- At least I know where I am. A foot in the closet, a foot out of it.**

 **Twisted~ Because you can reach the closet without those heels…**

 **Mika- Shut. Up... Baka.**

 **Twisted~ Mika, how 'up' can you even go?**

 **Mika- Enough to uppercut you.**

 **Twisted~ You won't hurt me, you wuv me too mu-**

 **Mika- *Uppercuts***

 **Twisted~ *squirms on the ground* Whyyyy~?**

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Jaune grunted, rolling haphazardly under one of the Grimm and scrabbling across the grass to escape the snarling jaw and swinging claws. Slashing his sword clumsily at it in an effort to ward it away, he spared a glance at Pyrrha.

The woman also rolled under an attack, her roll elegant where his had been clumsy. She came up hurling her shield into the closest creature, smacking its head aside and then thrusting her spear into its throat, yanking it back along with the shield that latched onto her arm almost automatically.

He turned back to the creature, raising his shield on instinct to block a blow that lifted him into the air, the beast's claws grating against the metal and throwing him back a few feet. Two more flanked him, corralling him away from his partner and isolating him, and he could sense the intent behind it, that same sense of guidance echoing in them as before.

He shakily stood, the main Grimm approaching him slowly again while the other two circle to the right and left, watching him closely. It plunged in again, stabbing forward with its claws, and Jaune grits his teeth, bracing. Its claws grated across his shield again, flowing into slamming its shoulder against him hard enough to knock the air from his lungs and his feet from the ground. The other two lunge in then, each grabbing an arm and hauling him upright, dragging him away towards some trees.

Pyrrha, yanking her sword-formed weapon from her last foe, turned and shouted his name, weapon shifting again into a rifle which she fired at the duo. The former lead turned back to her, engaging her in melee combat warily and forcing her attention onto it, and the duo continue running into the woods in spite of Jaune's struggles.

They made it about fifteen yards before a Bullhead roared over them, four black security droids slamming into the dirt and staggering upright. One of the Grimm released him, turning and leaping onto one of the mechs ripping its arms off savagely. The other three opened up on it, rounds ripping into bone armor and flesh alike, sending chunks of both flying. The last continued trying to drag him away by his sword arm, so he took a note from Pyrrha by slamming his shield into its claw four times before it released him with a hiss, lunging in and lifting him by his throat with a snarl.

A series of cracks tossed it to the side, two mechs stepping over it and unloading another burst into it before it began fading into black, whispy smoke. Jaune stood there panting for several seconds before the droids dispersed slightly and the Bullhead circled back, hovering over them, and Professor Goodwitch dropped to the ground, giving him a hard look, "Mister Arc, are you injured?" _"Perhaps I misjudged him..."_

"N-No, ma'am, just some bruises," he grunts standing up straighter and ignoring the scratches along his neck while they healed, "I'm okay… So did I fail then? I mean, you had to save me..."

"Fail? No. You and your partner shouldn't have been fighting these…" _"Alpha Lupinus... Incredibly rare and crafty, and she uses them herself quite often. But why throw them away here?"_ she paused to look over the dissipating creatures, "Grimm. They are above your expected level, enough so that the Headmaster dispatched me to retrieve you. You both eliminated one and held your own, so for now, you are being given a pass. You will be assigned a team once we-"

"Jaune!" The blonde turned to see Pyrrha rush through a bush, shield on her back and rifle ready- shouldered and finger on the trigger before she relaxes in relief, "Ah, you're unharmed. I feared for you when those creatures took you… Professor?" _"Damn it all, the staff had to intervene… A black mark to be sure, worst case a failure of Initiation."_

"Yes, Miss Nikos. We took note of several higher tier Grimm than any are expected to be in Initiation, and dispatched aid. As such, you both are being pulled from the testing and evaluated for your performance thus far," she saw Pyrrha stiffen nervously and smiled ever-so-slightly, "Peace, Miss Nikos. You slew multiple of them, you needn't worry." _"Ozpin is too curious about the boy to reject either of you, in any event."_

"I see. Very well then, what are we to do now?" The Spartan asked quietly, collapsing her weapon and resting it on her back with her shield, "Are we to be escorted back?" _"And what of the others in the test? Surely they may yet be at risk as well.…"_

"W-What about everyone else? Won't these Grimm be too much for them too?" he asked anxiously, ignoring Pyrrha's emerald eyes locking onto his own pointedly and turning enough to avoid the brunt of her thoughts. "We can't just… leave them, right?"

Glynda appraised him for several moments, lips pursed and eyes searching, "I assure you, they are quite safe. Enough so as not to be of concern to you, so come along." _"They targeted no one else, avoiding all but you…."_ The Bullhead hovering above them let down seven ropes, one for each of them plus all the deployed droids, including the destroyed one, "We can discuss it in detail at Beacon." _"Ozpin will have words, I'm sure. Hopefully that pain of a man can come up with an apt explanation."_

Jaune opened his mouth to protest, but felt a hand on his shoulder, "Come along, Jaune. It is best we make our way back now. If this is what is commanded of us, we must accept our leaders' wisdom and return." _"Perhaps we can glean more there. No matter, Jaune is too weak to fight in any event, and my Aura is almost drained."_ "You did splendidly, don't look so down."

"I was too weak to defend myself… You killed four on your own, and the most I did was make you angry." Jaune ignored another surprised blinking of eyes, turning back to the professor who was watching the droids patrol rather irritatedly, "I, uh, I don't know how to-"

"You grab the handles and press the red button on the end when you have a reasonable grip. The winch will pull you up automatically and deposit you in the Bullhead's cargo container." _"Obviously."_ She sighed, walking over and grabbing one herself, demonstrating it for him, "Like so."

He watched her ascend, wisely avoiding any inappropriate views, before walking forward and mirroring the actions, Pyrrha ascending next to him. The machines followed soon after, mechanically standing nearer to the pilot's bay, rifles in their hands and resting barrel-up against their shoulders. Jaune slid to the floor, resting his head on his knees to avoid the motion sickness as much as he could.

"Jaune? Are you well? Is it your-"

"No! Well, yes, in a way. Motion sickness gets me on these things sometimes," He smiled up at her and she relaxed slightly, though he looked away quickly enough to avoid any thoughts getting through to him. "Sorry, again… for not being able to do what you asked."

"Nonsense." Glynda snapped harshly, standing across from them and glaring down at him, "Those were Lupinus Alphas, a very rare and evolved Beowolf class. I have personally seen a pack of them wipe out veteran Huntsmen, and you are novices." _"They seemed to wish to capture you, but even preventing_ that _is an accomplishment."_

"What she means, I believe, is that I asked you to do what even others of our class are unable to do." Pyrrha added quietly, looking at the older woman for confirmation before sitting next to him, "It would be quite untoward to expect you to do what our betters can not." _"Fighting Alphas is always hard, even to those of my skill. You had no business surviving against such a foe, and yet you did. Impressive enough."_

"Uh… thanks, Pyrrha, I, er, appreciate it." He smiled shakily at her and she smiled back before they both went back to just resting, Jaune's head on his knees and Pyrrha's eyes closed entirely. "Hey Pyrrha?"

"Hm?" She responded to his muffled words, raising an eyebrow and turning her head slightly, but not opening her eyes, "Yes, Jaune?"

"Tomorrow, could you… train me a bit? I need a sparring partner to get better, I don't want to be a burden again." He asked quietly, and across from him Glynda radiated an approving feeling he could feel even staring down and talking to someone else.

"Of course, Jaune. I would love to help you improve, if you wish it. I could explain some theory to you while we fly, if you feel it would help your sickness?" _"He may be a novice, but… he wants to improve. That's honorable, respectable even, of him."_ He rolled his head to peek at her, the young woman smiling brightly at him, and then he nodded. "Very well. First of all, you need to better you shield positioning. It's not a brick, yet you treat it like it is, and that slows you down."

Jaune listened to her drone quietly, soaking up what she said and what she meant in equal measure, on their return trip. She might not be quite the best at explaining what she meant, but he understood all the same. A perk of his newfound ability, and one he enjoyed very much.

 **(~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~)**

"Yes, Mistress, I have relayed the information to Roman as you asked. I will go send it to Adam Taurus as well as soon as I am able." Cinder said meekly, eyes downcast towards the floor nervously to avoid Salem's irritated visage on her screen, "If I may ask… What is so important about the boy?"

"If you truly must know, he seemed to read the intent of one of my Ursai. I had them keeping their eyes out for potential Maiden replacements in this year's crop, as you _failed_ to leech all of her power. They were spread out, and it was waiting on its pack." She sighed, working her lips for a moment before continuing, "He… Guessed the entire reasoning for its actions, even though it acted entirely normal. Intimidating, angry and bestial as always."

"Yet he knew its intent…" Cinder filled in on her own, eyes narrowing suspiciously, "A Semblance, perhaps? Unless he is incredibly studious on Ursai, enough to read its actions."

"Impossible. I merely guided its actions, it acted entirely on its own." Salem dismissed easily, sighing quietly under her breath, "It acted on instinct, yet the boy knew its intent and goal. That should not be possible, not from knowledge on typical habits alone, at the very least."

"A Semblance then… I'll have Mercury and Emerald do some digging when we infiltrate Beacon. Roman will dig up information I can use for leverage, if we need or desire to use it. Assuming you don't simply wish for me to-"

"No, I want him alive. I have a few ideas on what his abilities may be. I've… dealt with people in the past who acted this way, and they're always useful if I can turn them to my side," Salem smiled coolly on the other end of the screen, and Cinder looked up to her nervously, "For now, I want you to get yourself and your tools close to him. Find me something."

"And the Fall Maiden?" Cinder asked cautiously, lowering her eyes again nervously, "Should I prioritize him, or her?"

"Her, obviously. He's a very tertiary goal, second to all others. If need be, he can be ignored or killed, after all. There's also the very real instance it was just a guess, after all." Salem said dismissively, waving a hand at the screen, "He is merely a curiosity."

"If you think it's so likely to have been a guess, why harbor the concern at all?" Cinder asked quietly, immediately regretting it when Slame glared at her.

"Because I wish you to do so, Cinder. If he is what I hope, he could be more useful a pawn than any other in my arsenal. Including you." She leaned close to the screen, dark eyes boring holes into Cinder's own, "Do not think on my orders, child. Merely obey."

"Y-Yes, Mistress. Forgive me." Cinder answered meekly, to which Salem merely huffed and ended the call, leaving the woman alone with her thoughts. And her orders.

 **(~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~)**

General James Ironwood walked the halls of his flagship, watching the men, women, and droids go about whatever tasks they had been assigned for the day, and thinking quietly to himself. Ozpin was being obtuse as always, refusing to explain why he wished for him to come visit him in Vale and only insisting it was related to 'private matters best left as spoken word only' which was code mainly for dealings regarding the Maidens.

He had, of course, informed him that their little 'project' had not yet been completed, but Ozpin had insisted he come all the same. And, after some wiggling and arguing with the rest of the Atlesian Council, he'd been granted clearance to take a very small fleet to Vale, ostensibly to see to problems Beacon was having with their droids.

He had neglected to mention how close they were to replacing them altogether, of course.

"General Ironwood, sir." He stopped and turned, looking down slightly at Winter Schnee saluting him with a folder tucked under her arm, and returned it automatically, "A report, sir. On our conflicts thus far with Grimm aerial species as well as observations of aquatic ones below, as ordered."

"We've detected a lot of Sea Dragons… And Nevermores as well, it seems." James mused quietly, perusing the report after she handed it to him, before grunting and handing it back, "I want a copy on my desk and forwarded to our scientists at Atlas. Order one of our ships to start dropping charges on concentrated aquatic Grimm, and dispatch extra fighters to intercept the Nevermores and anything else in the sky."

"Yes, sir." She said quietly, pausing uncertainly and opening her mouth to speak.

"You can speak if you wish to ask me for something, Winter." James said, chuckling lowly and turning to continue his walk, "Join me, I'm on my way to the bridge. Speak as we walk, and I will order you to be more candid if I must."

"I… Yes, sir. I was wondering if I could request a day off when we reach Beacon," Winter asked meekly, walking beside him with her eyes staring ahead levelly, "My sister is attending Beacon, and I wish to see her so that I may make sure she is settling into Vale properly. I don't want her to-"

"Winter, calm down. You ask for time to see your sister, and you will have it. You ask for one day and you will have three." He chuckled audibly this time, if lowly enough for most not to hear, "It is good to remember what we fight for, after all."

"I…. Thank you, General. I appreciate it greatly." She paused for several long seconds, thinking over her next words carefully before speaking, "Weiss is… very important to me, sir. I often worry over her."

"I understand. Family can be like that, sometimes. They take up an inordinate amount of brainpower and thinking time, more often than not." He gave her a steady look, smiling lightly at her, "It is a strength to be proud of, Winter. Have no shame for it."

"Yes, General. I… I can't help but agree." She smiled slightly, eyeing him from the corner of her gaze cautiously for a moment before speaking, "You speak with experience on the matter. Do you… do you have family?"

"I did, yes." She noticed his gloved hand, the synthetic one, tighten its grip; and could tell she had overstepped her bounds, immediately turning her eyes to the floor instead of the man as they walked in silence to the bridge. "Dismissed, Specialist. See to my previous orders immediately."

"Yes, General." She muttered quietly, snapping a salute before turning on her heel and returning the way they'd come from, avoiding the Atlesian general's eyes all the while.

 **XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

 **Twisted~ So, how was that? I hope you enjoyed it~ Drop any input below, it'll be a while until my next chapter. Youtube takes up the next few days, I'm afraid.**

 **Mika- And work for myself. Between games, work, and Quests I barely have any time!**


	4. Hard to Read

**Review Response:**

 **Hikari Niwa:**

 **Twisted~ I kind of ship it too, but dunno if I wish to use it. And yeah, interesting times indeed.**

 **Mika~ Well, it's a chinese curse after all- "May you live in interesting times." He'll learn the meaning of that curse eventually!**

 **(Guest) Neo Lewd Fan:**

 **Twisted~ Neo is bae~**

 **Mika~ Neo is indeed bae.**

 **(Guest) Agent M:**

 **Twisted~ How so? She is acting the same in dialogue, just not in thoughts. How often do you say yes ma'am and no ma'am and call someone a bitch in your mind?**

 **Fayari:**

 **Twisted~ Thanks~!**

 **Cerberus:**

 **Twisted~ If only he had a hound of some manner….**

 **The Canadian Patriot:**

 **Twisted~ Yeah, working on that. Trying to find ways to shorten it and make it legible, and I still wanna do it…. Tips would be welcome on that front. I may just make longer chapters to combat it, so it takes less proportionally. Dunno.**

 **As for the italics, can other people come in on this? Like, attach a yea nay to whether I should convert the normally bolded internal thoughts to italics? I'm photosensitive, so the different shades look different to me. Anyways, I mostly write that way for my eyes. Lighter shades hurt more, so I darken. I invert Fanfic's pages and grey out my Google Docs as well, for the same reasons.**

 **Mika~ Yeah, I had to customize my Docs for his tastes- and I've gotten so used to it now the light sears my eyes.**

 **Ninja Fang:**

 **Twisted~ Thanks for the support, bro!**

 **San Negative:**

 **Twisted~ Good idea. I'll start putting ANs post-story, review responses pre-story. Maybe make it easier on the eyes? Lemme know.**

 **Zdeath:**

 **Twisted~ Yeah, but don't get used to it. At least for Jaun, things will slow soon.**

 **Mika~ I see we're talking about Jaun Arc, Jaune's Spanish cousin.**

 **Twisted~ Why. I misspell one thing… Why…**

 **Mika~ Because I'm evil. I stole forty cakes. That's four tens.**

 **And that's terrible.**

 **Warmaster:**

 **Twisted~ Definitely not Crack, nah. Dabbled in that, didn't like it overmuch. Writing with Mika is always a joy, but... Just couldn't get into it.**

 **Teturo:**

 **Twisted~ Yeah, I feel like it's something akin to that. Or that weird jellyfish looking thing is an instant communicator? I dunno.**

 **XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

 **Twisted~ AN at the bottom, hope you enjoy the chapter~**

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Jaune walked uncomfortably through Beacon's halls, both his and his partner's armor clinking, rasping, and tinkling lightly with each step they took. Behind them, the surviving droids marched in tandem, heavy boots slamming into old, sturdy stone with every pace and rifles gripped in ready arms. Jaune kept his eyes low, on the floor in front of him, flinching whenever they passed a group of people and they seemed to roar in his head, an assault of emotions, sounds, desires, and pains.

A blonde woman was fussing with her hair, anxious over her partner and boyfriend's opinion. The boyfriend was staring at Pyrrha, marvelling at her and wondering what it would be like to take her to bed. A young Faunus was anxiously walking, head down and eyes averted from all others, and hoping to be left alone. Her partner followed, watching her worriedly and glaring at anyone who stared overlong. Another young man was angry over a detention he'd received for falling asleep. He'd been listening to a Faunus friend talk about the bullying all night, and though he didn't know it, she was going to wait until he got out and ask him on a date. She'd been on the roof when she'd called him, and only took the slower route down after their talk.

"You aren't in trouble, Mister Arc. You may relax, you know." His head snapped up, Glynda staring at him over her shoulder with a sympathetic look as they walked, "Headmaster Ozpin is a gentle enough man, you would likely escape rebuke even if you had failed to fight the Lupus." ' _Perhaps he has a fear of crowds on top of flying? How odd…'_

"I-I know... I just... have a headache from fighting the Beowolves, I got hit on the head pretty hard when they tried to carry me off." He explained quietly, lying slightly out of instinct. He didn't need to attract attention to himself, or they might look into his records.

"That was a strange act indeed, I was unaware Grimm acted that way." Pyrrha added helpfully, stepping closer to him and putting a hand on his arm as they walked, "Are you well? I can carry your arms if you wish it or need it." ' _They are light enough and I will put them down soon enough, in any event.'_

"No, thanks, Pyrrha. I'm okay, it's going away quickly enough." He said quietly, and smiling when she smiled at him happily, before turning to look at the back of Professor Goodwitch's head, eyes narrowing as he made a decision, "Do you know why they did that, ma'am?"

"None whatsoever, currently. Though Lupus- that's the species- Beowolves are different in the way that they are more sadistic than other races. It is possible they wished to torment Miss Nikos, thinking you dead and dismembered elsewhere." ' _Odd indeed… Unless she targeted him specifically, but that makes little sense. Perhaps to isolate Miss Nikos?'_ She sighed quietly, and Jaune averted his eyes to stare at the floor once more when she look over her shoulder, "Either way, they are all felled and you are not. Best to accept that as the truth you have."

"Yeah…." He muttered in response, while they continued their walk in silence. Or at least, silence for the others, as Jaune once more returned to listening to the roar in his mind and trying to drown it out with his own thoughts.

Professor Goodwitch stopped abruptly, and Jaune would likely have run into her were it not for his sensing it without looking, "Miss Nikos, you may wait here until Jaune returns. We wish to speak with the young man in private." ' _Why Ozpin would single the boy out, I've no idea….'_

"What?" She asked in surprise, echoed by Jaune, "Surely you speak in jest. Why would he wish us to part ways, when we both fought the Grimm? That makes little sense." ' _This is odd… it feels wrong, though I don't know why.'_

"I don't understand either. Why am I being singled out like this?" Jaune asked worriedly, mind racing and a hand resting on the pommel of his sword at his waist on odd instinct, "Did I do something wrong, or-"

"Miss Nikos, Mister Arc, are you children, or future Hunters of Beacon Academy?" She interrupted coldly, turning and staring at them both straight-backed with cold, angry eyes, "Because I know what you will claim and how you are acting in this moment do not coincide." ' _Damnit Ozpin, this is why I speak against your singling out of students.'_

"Warriors do not leave their battle-brothers and sisters alone to take fault or fire for their own failings." Pyrrha argued back, stepping slightly forward and in front of Jaune, "As my partner, he has my shield and my body behind him always." ' _You won't touch him. Not without assurances of his safety, at the least.'_

"Pyrrha, it's fine." Jaune interrupted, putting a hand on her shoulder and tugging her back slightly. The much stronger woman didn't move from the motion for several seconds before she sighed and stepped, aside, and he moved past her, "I'll see you in a bit, okay?"

She nodded, and Jaune followed the mildly agitated professor onto the elevator. He gave Pyrrha a calming smile before the doors closed. "Thank you for interceding, Mister Arc. Mistralians can be… very stubborn when it comes to allies at times." ' _Insufferable really.'_

"It's okay, she just worries. Makes a kind of sense, I guess." he sighed, tapping his foot anxiously while they rode up in the elevator, staring through the glass door at the wall passing by, "You aren't going to punish her, are you?"

"... No, I suppose not. Given the situation, I feel it is acceptable to let this slide. Just this once." She gave him a hard edged glance, appraising him for a moment before continuing, "You held yourself well against advanced Grimm, and she saw her partner dragged away by Grimm. She is protective right now, and that is understandable." ' _And besides the matter, I would react the same if I felt Ozpin was being threatened… I have reacted that way, in times past.'_

"Thanks, ma'am." He said quietly, closing his eyes and relaxing as he ascended the tower and the roaring quieted down considerably, changing from sounding and feeling like standing under the torrent of a massive waterfall to looking at one from a considerable distance, "I… think my headache is fading away, finally."

"I am glad to hear that, Mister Arc." She said warmly, and he sensed honest relief at the words emanate from her. She really did care about them, didn't she?

The platform slowed gently, stopping with a quiet ding, and Glynda straightened even more, turning to him "Now, you will answer honestly and completely each of his questions. Leave nothing out, even something minor or, to you, inconsequential. We have video sources of what happened, but your words will allow us to complete an otherwise spotty investigation." ' _Even the most minor detail our cameras missed could confirm our suspicions.…'_

"Y-Yes ma'am." He said quickly straightening and trying to calm down. Even if they knew about his records, Professor Goodwitch kept talking about their fight with the Lupus, so maybe it wouldn't matter.

She nodded and stepped in front of him, swiping her Scroll across a small black panel next to the door. With a muted ring, the doors slid open and Jaune followed her into the office. The room was rather spacious, Jaune noticed, with balconies flanking the massive desk. Cogs, gears and other assorted machinery churned under the floor, around the walls and on the ceiling. The duo walked forward quietly, Professor Goodwitch sitting in one of two chairs on the near side of the desk and motioning for him to do the same.

"Mister Arc, do you know why we had to save you?" The smooth voice asked, the chair spinning so that the silver-haired man could look at him, smiling… not warmly, but acceptingly. "I understand you likely have your own conceived reasons, and am curious to hear them before we start." ' _Let's see how close you get to the truth.'_

"I… because we couldn't beat them on our own?" He offered hesitantly, shifting nervously in his seat. Sitting in your armor was not the most comfortable act, he was learning.

"Miss Nikos seemed to be doing well enough; and had we not intervened, she would have eventually triumphed over them." He said dismissively, leaning forward and interlacing his fingers on the desk in front of him, "Try again." ' _Was I wrong then?'_

"I… because I couldn't beat them? Because I would have died, even if Pyrrha didn't?" He offered again, looking the older man in his eyes once again and trying not to squirm under his gaze.

"While I am happy that our intervention saved your life, that is not why I did it. It is a sorrowful event each time, but every year brings losses to the student population. A Huntsman's duty is dangerous and hard, and only the best can be trusted with our survival." He smiled slightly wider, inclining his head in a slight nod, "I approve of your humility, though." ' _If I was wrong, perhaps I should have him leave… Observe him outside Beacon, see if she continues her pursuit.'_

Panicking slightly, Jaune started thinking rapidly, chewing his lip. He was so distracted that, even with his newfound ability, he couldn't detect Professor Goodwitch's growing irritation and indignation until she spoke, "Headmaster, is this really necessary? He survived against advanced Grimm, and we have rules about their-"

"Miss Goodwitch, I am within my rights to ask what I please. You may question me afterwards, but for now be silent." His eyes hardened dangerously, surprising Jaune and, from what he could feel, Miss Goodwitch as well before he turned them on Jaune and allowed them to soften, "Now, try again." ' _If you were unable to see that they were targeting you for capture, you are useless to me.'_

"I.…" He sighed, closing his eyes and letting a breath out in defeat, "They weren't trying to kill me, they only tried to kill Pyrrha. They… they seemed to be trying to _take_ me away instead, distracting Pyrrha and… trying to get me away from her."

"Indeed. That's what we saw as well, Mister Arc." The Headmaster said gently, turning to Miss Goodwitch calmly, "Miss Goodwitch, would you mind fetching us something to drink?" ' _I need him alone.'_

She opened her mouth to argue and, with only a raise of his brow, was cowed into submission and stood to leave. She turned to Jaune first, smiling gently at him and giving him a very light pat on his shoulder as she passed by, trying, he could tell with a glance into her mind, to comfort him slightly.

Once she was gone, Ozpin's smile died and he reclined in his chair, "Mister Arc, I am going to be candid. There is no reason, whatsoever, for those Grimm to have acted that way. None. Lupus such as those would have dragged you just out of sight and set upon you, if they decided on that course of action that is. However, they would not have done that. You were no match for them," he leaned forward once again, placing his Scroll on the table and starting to cycle through files on it searchingly.

"Under normal circumstances, they would have killed you and attempted to surround and overwhelm Miss Nikos. So I am left wondering why they did what they did, and why you are alive." ' _The pieces simply fall into the wrong puzzles… or do I lack a few pieces to the full puzzle.'_

"I… don't understand enough about Grimm to try and guess why they did it, sir. I just know that they did." He argued meekly, shrinking into himself and growing more and more nervous, "sorry, sir."

"Yet you knew enough to tell that the Ursa was waiting on its allies." Ozpin dismissed, smiling more coldly than he had done yet, "so how, if you will indulge me, did you know that if you aren't an expert in Grimm behaviors and territorial habits? Even _I_ had to ask a colleague about it to guess at its motives, and even that was merely a guess." ' _Deceit or actual ignorance? Unexpected. A savant, perhaps? Unlikely, but at least a possibility.'_

"I just… It made sense, I guess? I mean, it wasn't attacking or anything. Why else would it hesitate?" Ozpin grunted in acknowledgement, and smiled when the elevator chimed once again and heels clicking could be heard.

"Thank you, Mister Arc. Your words were… illuminating." Ozpin said simply, standing respectfully and accepting a surprised Goodwitch's offered mug, "Please, do take the tea with you, it is quite good. You may go." ' _I have what I need, I think.'_

"Yes, sir." He said, a bit too eagerly, standing and taking the offered mug in nervous hands, "Thank you for saving me, Miss Goodwitch. I'll remember that, for sure."

He felt the emanating surprise, but ignored it and made his way to the elevator, stepping inside and smacking the button to descend. The roar of the school had returned by the time he reached the bottom of the shaft, but he was still more comfortable than he had been above. And at least he had Pyrrha to distract him from it, practically interrogating him for what they'd discussed with him.

 **(~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~)**

"He left rather quickly." Glynda observed quietly, retaking her seat across from her partner and eyeing him warily, "What did you say to frighten him off like that?"

"I didn't say anything outright. I merely asked the right questions, to eliminate as many explanations for what we both saw and know happened as possible." Ozpin explained simply, relaxing into his chair and staring up at the ceiling, "I do wish he had been more open to me, but I could tell that wouldn't happen from the start."

"Did you use his faked transcripts against him?" She asked coolly, clearly disapproving of the cheating being rewarded with his attendance being granted, "You mentioned that you might bring it up, if he proved interesting to you."

"Had I done that, I felt he would have become even more closed off and defensive towards me, and we don't know the full extent of the faking in any event. He could be home-trained, and lying to get into a better Academy. That is common enough, in today's world, and not outright illegal. No, better that be saved until he has some trust in me and then use it to instill true loyalty," he sighed tiredly, reaching up to massage his temple, "I often find I hate this game, Glynda."

"I am aware. One needn't be a mind reader to see that using people like this, even if you're using them to do the job they came to do, hurts you." She smiled thinly at him, affection abounding to the trained eye, "It is good of you to feel that way. Else you might turn cold towards the people you claim to protect."

"Thank you, Glynda." He said quietly, sitting up and grabbing his mug for a quick sip of the warm beverage, "Now, back to Jaune. He is either lying through his teeth, or a intellectual with instinctive understanding of the Grimm. I lean towards the first though."

"Might I know why?" She asked simply, taking a sip of her own drink, "I would lean towards a savant, myself. He is adept at skills he should require training for, yet has needed none to gain success employing them."

"Yes, but why would an expert lie about it? And further, an expert in hacking, forgery, _and_ Grimm? The first two are linked closely enough to be argued, the third not so much." He shook his head dismissively, eyes flicking through a slew of files on his Scroll, "No, I think it likely he is merely lying. He didn't guess at the Grimm's next actions, he _knew_ them."

"So you say." Glynda said simply, not ready to accept that as proof yet, "Regardless, I think he should be watched. See what theory holds evidence longest and in the most abundance."

"That _is_ why I dismissed him when and as I did." Ozpin agreed simply, smiling lightly at her before letting it drop, "Being a savant wouldn't attract _her_ attention either, you know. That's a part of my disbelief of it."

"Honestly, I find it curious too. But that curiosity assumes that she targeted him, and this wasn't for a reason other than eliminating the heir to a large Hunter family." Glynda spoke calmly, letting out an anxious breath and looking to her right, at the dipping sun, "The students should be returning soon, you know."

"Yes, but the teams are already made. You know that as well as I do." He dismissed, waving a hand at the setting sun, "We have an hour yet before the naming ceremony."

"I assume that your decision regarding JNPR's leader stands?" Glynda asked coyly, smiling at him, "Appointing Mister Arc as a leader would go far in assuaging his family when they find out."

"Indeed." He said simply, signaling to drop the subject and return to the matter at hand with his tone, "I want guards on attention at all times, Salem will likely attempt to get at him if her interest was real. If that is what he is hiding, expect plays against our defences."

"I understand. I assume that is why you invited James?" She asked, sitting up straighter unconsciously and making Ozpin chuckle before she glared at him.

"What?"

"Oh nothing, dear Glynda. Nothing important." He said, smiling at her happily, "But to answer your first question, yes. I felt that Atlesian forces could help supplement our own security. I have the utmost faith that, in direct engagements, we would reign victorious. But I need sacrificial pawns for this particular match, and the Atlesian fleet employs plenty of drones to serve that role."

"And you would rather that than use students or Hunters." Glynda filled in, nodding approvingly, "I prefer that as well. What about Miss Nikos? Do our hopes for her still stand?"

"Assuming Qrow will not accept Miss Rose as the replacement? Yes. Miss Nikos will have to serve as our interest until James' pet project bears good enough fruits to replace her." He said sadly, grimacing at the thought, "I am sorry to use her as such."

"Because of what she is, or who?" Glynda asked neutrally, raising a thin eyebrow at him from across the desk.

"Both." Ozpin explained simply, shaking his head. "Pragmatically, I dislike wasting a valuable resource such as her talent, and the political power I could gain from having her here. But…."

"You also dislike likely sacrificing an innocent person?" Glynda offered, smiling fully at him and chuckling, "You've always been the sensitive one of the team, Ozpin."

"Says the one that was asking after Mister Arc's headache? And the one that put some pain meds in his cup?" He chuckled, smiling at her, "Dangerous thing, that. Could be allergic to what you may have used."

"I checked his medical history for a list of allergies, as well as his siblings' histories, though the records were spotty. I also have emergency stimulants ready in case of reactions. They have no known allergies to any basic pain medications, nor do their parents, or their grandparents..." Glynda sighed, closing her eyes and grimacing, "And that was an accusation."

"Yes, it was. And you validated it." Ozpin said, laughing quietly.

"I will neuter the coffee budget."

 **(~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~)**

"You want me to help you? Again?" Junior drawled, glaring at the other criminal unhappily, "Why the actual hell would I do you any favors after you got my men killed?"

"Because you like money?" Roman offered neutrally, smiling at him and titling his head sarcastically, "And living as well, I would wager. The _rest_ of your men probably feel that way if you don't."

"Is that a threat, Roman?" Junior demanded, turning from the bar and standing tall above him, glaring down and motioning for Melanie and Miltia to come to him, "You of all people should know that doing _that_ while you are _here_ is a very bad idea. Especially for someone who enjoys having a pulse."

"Me? Threaten my old friend Junior?" Roman laughed loudly, shaking his head and stepping past him to slap the counter and lean against it happily, " Hey, you know I like you, Hei. See what I did there? Anyways, you know I like you, and you know I don't _threaten_ , so no."

"That certainly felt like one." Junior groused, holding up a hand to signal the girls to stop where they were, several yards away and ready to intervene without hesitation if he asked.

"If I wanted to kill you, I wouldn't _say_ it. Makes it obvious. I have Neo for that anyways, and goons to deliver messages even _if_ I decide a dramatic threat is necessary." His smile evaporated as his eyes bored into Junior's, hard green glaring at him darkly, "What I _am_ saying is that my bosses don't accept 'no' as an answer. You either accept your orders or you die for refusing."

"Is that why you work for them?" Junior asked with a sigh, grabbing a drink when offered by the bartender and tossing the shot back, "I didn't take you for one to roll over for anyone."

"Probably because I _don't_ roll over for people." He agreed, nodding amicably before sighing and turning around to sit with Junior, "This isn't about rolling over, for either of us. It's about survival, for both of us and our friends outside of this."

Junior and Roman sat in silence for a full minute, each thinking and waiting for the response of the other or for the other to play their hand. Junior played his first, "What's _coming_ Roman? All the Dust you're stealing, the White Fang agents you asked me to smuggle in and allow to run in my territory, that… woman who seems to command you… What are you involved with?"

"Something that will get a _lot_ of people killed, whether it works or not." Roman said seriously, turning slightly to eye the twins, "And I'm in the middle, trying to make sure everyone I care for makes it through alive."

"I appreciate that, if it's entirely true." Junior admitted honestly, running a thumb along the top of his glass and sighing, "But I can't help you with that, my men won't want the risk, and I can't justify helping the 'Fang to them enough to get it to happen."

"I understand. I'll try and make her understand too, see if we can stall for a while until you have some more leeway." He nodded, taking another shot and signaling the bartender for another one, "So how about helping me yourself? I need information on someone."

"I can give you that much, at least, if I have it." Junior agreed, smiling thinly at him, "You got a name?"

"No. All I know is that he's a Beacon student. Blonde male, blue eyes? Wields a sword and shield, wears light armor." Roman slid a few hundred lien notes across the bar to him, nodding at it before continuing, "I need the name, history, whatever you have. And soon."

"I have it now." Junior said dismissively, waving over the twins and waiting for them to reach him, "Girls, fetch the files on the Arc kid for me. Make copies if you need to of any information I don't have backed up."

"You already know him?" Roman asked after they left, raising a thin brow at him and smiling curiously, "How? One of your boys?"

"No. Came in and asked if I could help him forge identification and records for attending Beacon. Paid a pretty penny for it, too." Junior explained, pulling out a cigar and offering a twin to Roman, who waved it off, "Needed medical approval records, doctors bribed to verify, a private tutor to sign off on him, the works."

"Interesting…" Roman stood, turning towards the door and smiling to himself, "I'll send Neo by in a few hours to pick everything up and pay you for it. Thanks, Junior."

"No problem, Roman. Be careful out there." Junior smiled at him and stood up to return to his duties, "Don't get killed or I'll be pissed as hell. Neo will be too, and even dead that should be frightening to you."

"Oh, it is." He laughed back, walking away before he let the smile fall, "If only Neo was the most dangerous bitch in my life at the moment…."

 **(~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~)**

Neo yanked the knife out of the woman's leg before stabbing it back in, smiling when she screamed around the gag again and rolling her head to the side to stare at the man. Lucas Barnes, a Cat Faunus with a missing ear, glared at her and worked his jaw, "I told you, I don't know where she-" Neo twisted the knife and the woman cried some more, blood trickling onto the floor beneath the bound woman, "Fucking stop! I'd tell you if I knew, alright?"

"If that's the case, then we have no reason to stop, now do we?" Cinder asked quietly, sitting on the desk in the center of the wrecked office and looking around, "Think, Lucas. Giving us answers saves you and your little pet here, not giving it gets her killed. Painfully. And if we find out you _did_ have the information and didn't give it…."

Neo smiled, yanking the blade from the woman and moving it towards her ear, "Wait!" The two women turned to look at the former-CEO of the small shipping company expectantly, and he sighed, "I don't _know_ where she went, but I do know that Beacon is likely. If she didn't head to Menagerie, at least."

"Why do you think that?" Cinder asked, standing up and pacing on the carpeted office floor in thought, carefully avoiding the strewn garbage and destroyed office supplies.

"The old man, Ozpin. He's always been a bleeding heart, if she went to him then he'd take her in without a thought." He inhaled nervously, looking at the women expectantly, "I really, really don't know anything. That's all I can give you, and that's just a possibility."

"Very well, it's our best lead. You are the fifth person to answer that way as well, so I believe you all." Cinder said calmly, walking towards him and running a hand along his cheek before walking towards the door, "Neo, make it look like a hate crime. A Human and a Faunus? Quite frowned upon by many, so be creative."

"What? You said you'd let us go if we-"

Cinder slammed the door behind her, smiling at the docks around them and walking into the coming night, "The docks are so loud, even now… people really _should_ be more wary in today's world. I wonder if Roman has had success in his own venture?"

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 **Twisted~ So, putting the AN at the end is kinda weird. Will anyone even read? Meh, pains must be taken for the Review Responses I want to include, so I am fine with it. Worth an experiment at least, thanks to everyone who offered the input on it.**

 **Oh well. Anyways, only one chapter this weekend, and a late posting at that. Sorry. I worked on Friday with my group, which I usually don't do. The reason is that we are house hunting now, along with stepping up schedules to work with others who have other days they are available when we normally didn't meet at all. I apologize for the delays. Just know that, even if I don't post on a weekend, I am working on it.**

 **This one should be a good bit longer anyways, though, so fair is fair? Yes? No? Maybe so? Would you prefer one long chapter to two shorter ones? Longer chapters take longer to make and drag more, but are more content at once. Shorter ones pop out quicker, but have less in them. For instance, had I used long chapters, the first two or even three chapters would have been one chapter. Gimme a Review or PM me with answers on that front.**

 **In other news…. Nothing from me. I have no life, outside of my Youtube.**

 **XD Mika?**

 **Mika~ I had surgeries! (owies)**

 **Twisted~ And she didn't tell me… *angry pouting***

 **Mika~ Because he's a worrywart and I didn't want him to worry. He did anyways when I told him**


	5. Training Start'

**Zenith:**

 **Twisted~ How is she acting like you say? She offers him help, and privately critiques his failings. That's normal for people to do. What world do you live in where people are expected to be entirely selfless? Hell, Pyrrha was tempted to tell the rest of the world to fuck off so she could be with Jaune in V 3.**

 **And Ozpin isn't acting like a sociopath. He literally states that this bothers him. But this is war. Is a general a sociopath for admitting that he will have to sacrifice a soldier also? Ozpin needs a Maiden. We don't even know where Spring is, though she's likely a bandit, and Fall is literally right there. He doesn't want Pyr dead, he just accepts that as a possibility. So I'm confused.**

 **How-not-to-do-something:**

 **Twisted~ ….. Clearly you don't know me.**

 **Quadruple Double Slash:**

 **Twisted~ Yes. Yes she is. Much cute. Very waifu.**

 **Fayari:**

 **Twisted~ What was the darkest part, you think?**

 **RPG Persona:**

 **Twisted~ All shall be revealed in time~ And glad you're enjoying the story so far.**

 **TrollerBear:**

 **Twisted~ First off, love the name. Love it. Ten out of ten. Second off, I noticed it too. It's an issue with Pyrrha being a central character. I write so much in that style she talks in a lot, it ingrains a might more than I would like. As more characters filter in, that will lessen.**

 **Flowslikepixels (Guest):**

 **Twisted~ It did, yeah. On purpose. Now it slows down, by a margin.**

 **Forget4Me:**

 **Twisted~ Glad you like it, and yeah. I always took it as Pyr seeking out the one who didn't react to her titles. Not out of sexual reasons and skillful reasons, just her… wanting honest friends and earned respect. Just my realization. Same for Glynda.**

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 **Youtube Response (Only This Time):**

 **RubiksCubePiDude:**

 **Twisted~ Yes, you have the right channel. I am Fluffy there. Comments were weird and, as of writing this, I could neither respond to you or message you. Please check your settings, something may be preventing my response.**

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A week or so passed in what felt like a day. The naming ceremony, where he took the role of leader, and three frantic days of sprinting around, signing papers and moving into their room- not to mention the redecorating Nora had immediately insisted on. Setting it up so she could sleep closer to Ren and he had a place to make pancakes for their mandatory free-period snacks (and the occasional lunch, breakfast, and dinner if the stoic young man were to be believed). Now it was Saturday, the first of two days slated for rest before the first, full week of academics began to swing school into full effect.

For Jaune, it began earlier than most, on the roof with his red-haired partner, standing across from him and smiling happily after an hour already gone to their training. "You are doing well, Jaune. Much better than earlier, you just need to get a more… standard defence up." " _A stiff breeze could likely break it, if you were pressed. Novices have to start somewhere, though, I suppose..."_

"My dad was a lot more of an offense kind of guy, ya know? Hit 'em hard, hit 'em fast, and they won't hit back." He shrugged meekly, smiling half-heartedly at her. He straightened up, before sliding back into his, admittedly sloppy, stance.

"That… is not a fighting style that suits you, Jaune; nor your arms and armor," she sighed, lowering her spear for a moment, "You wield shield and blade in concert, and are therefore more apt to block than attack. You wait for the proper opening, then strike." " _The blade sings the chorus to the shield's song, but the former always follows the latter in the same vein."_

"So… I'm attacking too much?" He asked quietly, looking at the sword in his hand in thought.

Pyrrha sighed, walking forward as she placed her weapons on her back, before laying a hand on the pommel of his. "Jaune, you need to take many things into account when you decide on a permanent fighting style. Our team, for instance. How do each of your subordinates fight?" " _You are not adept with blade or shield, but how are your tactical abilities I wonder?"_

"Well… you're really fast and agile, and you hit pretty hard. Ren is too, but he doubles as ranged instead of hitting hard. Nora is a massive damage dealer, even if she's a bit slower than either of you." Jaune listed mechanically, blinking when Pyrrha smiled widely at him and gestured for him to continue.

"So what roles do we play?"

"You are a good holder, but you can go to the enemy too. Nora is best at hitting enemies head on, and Ren is good at flanking enemies." He said it simply, before tapping his foot nervously and looking at her, "Right?"

"Exactly right- though you should also bear in mind that Ren and I have ranged capabilities, while you have none. Nora's hammer also has anti-armor capabilities, making her good against armored Grimm." She smiled proudly at him, nodding approvingly, "What we lack, however, is someone who can hold the enemy for us all to coordinate against. That is where you and your shield come in," she moved her hand to rest on Crocea Mors shield indicatively. "You fill that role." " _At least you are a quick learner when it comes to tactics and team strengths. Surprising to know that much about new allies, were I honest."_

"Then… then I need to learn more about defending than attacking," he said quietly. She stepped back with a raised brow, asking what he meant silently- he knew from his 'hearing' and sensing. "I need Nora and Ren to help me too. Ren can help me train my adaptability, and Nora my strength and endurance."

"You understand how difficult that will _be,_ yes?" " _Fool, or just foolhardy? Or pragmatic, maybe?"_ He almost rolled his eyes, but resisted the urge and simply nodded instead. "Very well, I shall message them and request they meet with us at our room."

"Thanks, Pyr," he said quietly, walking towards the door and sheathing the sword at his side. He felt a small pang of annoyance from her, amidst the cacophony that he was slowly getting another migraine from. He almost turned to ask her what was the matter, but thought better of it.

"They have said they shall be there shortly, so let us go," she said quietly, following him down the stairs from the roof and back into the dorms. He sensed very mild anxiety in the storm they were walking through. "However, you should be aware, Nora seems… excited... at the prospect of helping you with strength training."

"Why does that scare me?" he asked quietly, grimacing at the prospect as they turned down their hallway, already able to hear a commotion from their dorm. "I am suddenly filled with a sense of dread."

"Likely because you asked _Nora_ for strength training assistance." Pyrrha suggested simply, amusement rolling off her and into him before she stepped up next to him and bumped his shoulder with her own. "Come, let us see what she has in mind." " _You poor fool…"_

"Jauney~!" He shivered and turned, looking down the hall towards where he felt the absolute _energy_ that he'd come to associate with Nora, and saw a blur of ginger hair before he was slammed into a wall by the young woman's hug. "Ooooooh~! You want me to train you? Me? I've never trained anyone before! This could be fun~!" " _I need weights, vitamins, ropes, outfits, a few Ursas…"_

"Nora, calm down," Ren advised quietly, walking up to stand beside her quietly, and smiling slightly at her cheshire grin. "He asked for our _help_ , not several broken ribs. Be mindful of your strength." " _At least wait until training to break some of his bones."_

"My training is based on breaking bones though, Ren! You break 'em down and build 'em back up, that's how I learned!" She squealed, bouncing away from her leader and closer to Ren obediently, "I have so many ideas, too!"

"No maiming our leader, Nora. We have need of him in a relatively healthy state," Pyrrha argued lightly, giggling at the other woman happily, "for now, focus on the lighter side of his endurance training." " _Poor boy, made a huge mistake… oh well."_

"To the gym!" Nora called loudly, turning and marching down the hall with her team in tow, "One, two, one two, come ooooon~! No time to waste~!" " _I wonder how long he'll last~?"_

Jaune sighed nervously and followed after the trio, smiling lightly to himself and focusing on their thoughts to drown out the noise around him. It worked rather well, and he took mental note of that for later.

 **(~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~)**

"Sir, an update from our forces in Vale." Adam Taurus turned, looking down on the slightly shorter, Faunus woman standing in front of him; right fist on her chest in a salute and a disk held out in front of her. "Agents recovered the information you requested they look into."

"Which agents, Teal?" He asked gruffly, already suspecting her answer before he asked. But he had to ask anyways, to sate the curiosity. To think _Blake_ was the cat between them….

"It… doesn't say, sir. Only says that there were two women who pursued leads for you, sir." she reported. He nodded and took the file from her, staring at it more intensely than he realized. "Is… something wrong, sir?"

"No. Nothing that you need to worry over, at least." He said simply, turning and reaching for the door to his office, before smiling in a realization and turning to look at the smaller woman, "You don't need to wait for me to dismiss you every time, Teal."

"Yes, I do, sir." She said lightly, chuckling under her breath, "Military styling instills discipline into the newer recruits. As long as they see you as a superior officer, they should fall in line easier. And in a fight, they may hold longer if they have that discipline."

He smiled thinly and rolled his eyes, turning back to her and saluting her in return. "Dismissed then, Teal. Go get some rest, I know you have been on a longer shift than most today."

"I haven't- Yes, sir." She sighed, smiling back at him and turning to walk deeper into the base.

Now that she was gone, he went into his small office; little more than a larger-than-average alcove carved out of the tunnels they'd found. It used to be a Dust mine from some minor company, but after the Schnees ran them out of business, they couldn't afford the many guards they needed. Then the Grimm came and wiped out everyone there, the small number of guards unable to defeat the horde. The men and women often wondered idly why they'd had such an easy time ousting the creatures, but Adam would never tell them. Such things were secrets for himself, unfortunately for them. And even were he to tell them the truth, they would likely not believe it.

Sitting at the chair next to his desk, he opened the file and started reading through the information inside. "You're at Beacon, then? Now I see why Cinder agreed to find you for me…." He sighed, closing the folder and leaning back in his chair, reaching up to remove his mask and run his hands along his scarred face. "So Beacon _has_ to fall, then. Damn it!"

He reached into his drawer and pulled out an old binder, flipping it open to stare at the pages of his old friend's class. Most of his friends had an "x" over their face now- killed by Grimm, men, or time. He perused the pages for a while before closing it and staring at the emblem on the front for several seconds. With a roar of anger, he hurled the book across the room and stood to leave.

"Damn it, Ozpin… You stupid, kind fool…." He reached up to run a hand along the scars on his face once more, frowning slightly and reaching for his mask. He glared into its 'eyes' for several seconds before turning it, and replacing it on his face. "Old kindnesses return as cruelties, then. I'm sorry…."

 **(~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~)**

"So you want me to deploy my droids outside the kingdom instead of _inside_ it?" James asked quietly, sitting in the same chair Jaune had occupied a week prior. "Is this why you were delayed in our meeting as well?"

"Yes, and I do apologize for that as well. I had to arrange Hunters in the area to do some scouting and pursue some leads on information I would like to have." Ozpin said simply, giving his old friend a confident smile and inclining his head slightly, "I trust you understand the need to pursue intelligence operations, as an Atlesian general."

"I understand completely, Ozpin." He answered back crisply, returning the smile. "Those without proper armies tend to need more spies than normal, after all. The nature of fighting a war without soldiers, I'm afraid."

The two stared each other down for several long seconds, before both laughed loudly, "Ah, James, it has been far too long indeed. It is good to see you at a time when everything around us _isn't_ on fire."

"I couldn't agree more, Ozpin." The general affirmed brightly, smiling warmly at his old friend before growing serious, "But I do have to ask, if nothing is burning, why call the fire department?"

"Because I smell smoke in the distance, and it tells me a fire is on its way." He sighed, leaning back in his chair and relaxing slightly. "Salem is on the move, I know that much. I don't know what she's _doing_ , but I do know she's doing something."

"Because of what was done to Amber, you mean?"

"That and a few other things. A pair of students in Initiation were attacked by Alpha Lupinus, and they tried to abduct a student." Ozpin explained, picking up his warm mug and taking a long sip from it, "Everyone who studies Grimm know that Lupinus abduct people, but most don't know why."

"Because they're being taken for a reason. Most Atlesians that are taken are officials or soldiers, sometimes scientists." James continued quietly, shaking his head morosely, "I detest the fact that I can't send rescue parties, but no one would believe that they are alive after the first hour."

"But why take a _student,_ James. That is what I don't understand. I understand them taking people, I know the reasons for it: information, morale losses, eliminating esteemed opponents. But a seemingly random student at Initiation?" Ozpin barked a tight laugh, shaking his head lightly and turning to look out his windows, "That makes no sense whatsoever. The only link is Miss Nikos, one of our potential Maidens… but she'd have grabbed _her_ if she knew about that. Not Jaune."

"You are right, that doesn't make any sense… I can post soldiers at the school as well if I dock my flag-ship here, citing security reasons to justify it. And conveniently enough, they'll mostly patrol around the dorms." James offered, to which Ozpin nodded tightly and the general sighed, "I… know you don't like giving me this duty, Ozpin. I understand how you feel, wanting to protect your students yourself. Thank you for letting me help you."

"Don't worry too much about me, just… focus on my students. Help me protect them." Ozpin inclined his head, smiling gratefully at him, "I know we often disagree with each other's methods, but I am glad I can count on you when things go bad."

"Of course, Ozpin." James said calmly, standing up and exhaling a long breath, "I should go and begin moving my troops. Send the perimeter you would like established around Beacon to my Scroll, and I will make the arrangements."

"I will do exactly that, my friend." Ozpin nodded, watching the general walk from the room before letting his smile drop and turning to stare out the window once again, lost in thought.

 **(~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~)**

"So he's… a fraud, then?" Cinder asked, honestly confused, with a raised eyebrow and a hand on her hip.

"Yep. Complete, total, irrefutable fraud. Not a single thing in his records is actually true. The teachers and students he was supposedly with are all conveniently dead, or paid off in the case of one Huntress." Roman agreed, taking a long drag on his cigar and reclining further on the couch in the living room of his rather spartan hideout. "Comes from a family of Hunters, mostly dead. No prior training, education, etcetera. 'Bout as viable a Hunstman as you are a comedian."

"Then why is she… No. No matter why, I'll inform my employer of this." She gave him a small smile, fishing an equally small envelope from the bust of her dress and tossing it onto the couch beside him. "Good work, Roman."

He didn't bother checking it, knowing by now that it would be right, and slid it into his coat with a smug smile, "Of course it was _good_ , I was involved and got to make my plans all by myself. That's what happens when you treat me like a big boy."

"If you keep the disrespect up, you won't be a 'boy' for very long." She half-snarled, holding a smoldering hand up to really send her threat home.

"Relax, relax, I'm only joking!" He said nervously, sitting up rigidly and crossing his legs, "How, uh, how did your end go then, boss? With Neo there, I trust everything went smooth as ice?"

She appeared at his elbow suddenly, smiling up at him before plopping on the couch and cuddling against his side snugly, signing away animatedly, "Everything went fine enough since I was there, and she left me a couple people to play with after too!"

"Everything went fine, Roman. We got the needed information from them and disposed of them, then we forwarded it to Adam." She smiled viciously, letting her hand fall and turning to walk towards the door, "That should cement his loyalty, for now. May need to eliminate him later anyways, but we shall wait and see on that front…. Good night, Roman. I have a report to make."

He waited until she'd left before looking at Neo critically and sighing, "My plan fell through, hon'. We're stuck with her, for better or worse."

"Then we'll just have to survive it, right?" She smiled, poking his nose lightly and stretching out, "We always survive, after all. That's all that matters, at the end of the day."

"Yeah…." Roman muttered, grimacing slightly and sighing. "Yeah, we do. I just don't like it."

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 **Twisted~ So, delay reasons. I got a stray doge. Blonde lab, looked ready to die when she came up to me, she was starved so badly. Her name is Elsa now, and she is sitting in my lap while I write this. No fucks given at all about me typing. Not too heavy either, which is bad given her size. Apologies for the delay, I couldn't help it.**

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 **~Review Responses~**

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 **The Night Shinobi:**

 **Twisted~ Glad you like it. Thanks for the follow, means a surprising amount to me.**

 **Alturial:**

 **Twisted~ Someone suggested I try it. I rather like it, myself. Sorry for the confusion.**

 **RPGPersona:**

 **Twisted~ ...I dreaded the reference being made, and have had my family making it all week. XD**

 **As for your notes, all interesting ones. Only real comment I have is towards Adam. I hate cut-and-paste cartoon villains, and don't write them where I can help it. I feel Adam has better reasons for his fight than his own racism, and that he has more depth as a person.**

 **Anon Reader 47:**

 **Twisted~ Unconfirmed. XD**


	6. Training Day

"Come on, Jauney, just one more time!" Nora crowed happily, clapping and jumping from leg to leg excitedly while she watched him, "I know you can do it, just try harder! And remember to lift with your legs, or your spine will probably break in two~!" " _Come on Jauney, if you can't even lift two hundred pounds without a problem, how will you ever move to lifting_ my _personal weights?"_

"I believe he is trying, Nora." Pyrrha said lightly, sitting on the bench next to where his head lay and watching him, waves of worry coming off her in the distant background. "He is simply not as strong as you, so this shall take much more time than you might presume." " _Poor young man. My own strength training wasn't even close to this level."_

"'M fine, guys." He grunted, squirming under the ginger to offset the weight he was trying to push up as she sat on his lap, her legs crossed and smiling down at him with that vicious excitement. "Jus' heavy is all."

"Nora, I think we should let him rest." Ren added quietly, amusement present in his thoughts and voice echoing off the otherwise empty weight room's walls. "He is obviously not at your strength level. We don't want him hurt." " _I am surprised he could lift it at all, honestly. The wonders of Aura…."_

"I guess…." She said quietly, reaching out to take the massive weight from him casually with one hand while hopping off him, making the man's efforts look like nothing. She tossed it onto a mat casually, turning to look back at him with a bright smile, "Still, you did better than I thought you would~ I'm impressed." " _Thought your arms would snap off with that much weight~"_

He grunted and sat up, panting heavily and groaning, "Oooooooh, I regret everything about talking to you right now." He said lowly, arms hanging almost limply at his side while he panted lightly. The ache began to fade quickly, his Aura healing the damaged muscle tissue rapidly and strengthening them, almost like normal exercise on triple speed.

"Oh, you have no idea how much you'll hate me tomorrow~ Today was just me seeing what you could do." She said coyly, turning to look over the weights in the room with an ever-growing, almost evil, grin on her face, "Might need more weights in here for us though~" " _Not enough for me to make him as string as I wanna try and do... Might use my personal stuff, eventually."_

"I hate you. So much. I can't even put into words how much I hate you right now." He groaned, standing up and letting out a long breath, reaching for a towel to wipe his bare chest clean of sweat. "And why am I not allowed to wear my shirt again, Nora?"

The ginger turned to the redhead with a grin and a raised eyebrow, and the redhead returned it with a smile and a raised brow of her own before Nora answered, "Because we say so of course~" " _Pyrrha owes me so much~"_

" _...It isn't my fault I wish for a nice view, and don't wish to challenge Nora for Ren."_ "Do you require rest before continuing, or are you well enough?" " _Please be well enough…"_ He accepted the water bottle she offered, using the excuse to turn around while he drank and hide the flush in his cheeks; though she seemed to not notice it anyways. Probably assuming that it was just the head and stress of the exercises.

"As long as I don't need to lift any more weights, I'll be fine, Pyr." He groaned, giving Nora a wary glance, "And you need to learn human limitations."

"Umm, Jauney, I _am_ human." She said coyly, head tilted to the side like a curious dog.

"I stand by what I said." He said petulantly, turning from her giggling face and looking at Ren, "What do you have in store for me? Running a few hundred miles? Kicking the ceiling?"

"No. Meditation is where I am going to start you, actually." " _It's where I started, after all."_ Ren corrected simply, smiling at him and gesturing at a pair of mats set across from each other a few feet away. Jaune raised an eyebrow at him curiously, but the other man simply walked to his mat and sat down, gesturing to the other for Jaune to join him.

"I thought we were going to be doing speed training?" Jaune asked in mild surprise, sensing the other man's amusement as he sat down, visible only by the slightest of smiles. "We're not going to run or something? I-I mean, that's what would make sense to me."

"I said that too, when I started my own training. My teacher made me run for five hours straight, until I collapsed. Do you know what he asked me the next day?" " _How fast can you run right now, boy?"_ Ren paused for a moment, smiling thinly at Jaune and waiting for an answer he couldn't give without raising questions he dreaded to have asked. Questions he didn't know how to answer properly. "He asked me how much faster that had made me. I said I couldn't run anymore, and he answered by saying that was the point. Then he made me meditate with him."

Jaune sighed and sat across from him, shifting uncomfortably on the mat and watching Nora clean up the equipment, throwing weights onto her shoulder that he had struggled to even shift earlier in the day, and jogging across the room happily. "She's… odd."

"Yes, she is." Ren agreed, watching her for a moment as well. Jaune turned his head slightly, angling towards him more, and sensed contentment amid the noise of the academy. "Nora, I need you and Pyrrha to leave Jaune and I alone. Meditation requires… peace." " _And you don't bring much peace…"_

"O-kay~ Ren! Whatever you want, just give a yell~" Nora chirped happily as she lugged her weights further away from the group, with Pyrrha in tow, letting them practice in semi-peace across the room without bothering the two young men.

"I was hoping they would leave entirely, but this is good enough I suppose." Ren muttered, straightening his posture and turning back to Jaune without even a minor sense of annoyance, despite his words. "Have you ever meditated before? In any way?" " _Unlikely, but I need to ask anyways. If only to correct whatever any teachers before have mistakenly taught him."_

"No. I've… never tried it before, actually." Jaune admitted quietly, rubbing his thumbs together embarrassedly for a moment, "Sorry."

"Don't be. It is easier to fix problems before you have them, after all." " _A least, sensei always said that. I wonder what he would say to Jaune about this? How would he explain it?"_ Ren said simply, smiling at him brightly and taking a seat on the ground, crossing his legs and resting his palms on each knee comfortably. "It's also an exercise in Aura control and a way to find and refine your Semblance. Focus inside yourself, maintain your breathing, and try to move your Aura."

Jaune crossed his legs, and did his best to mirror Ren's pose before closing his eyes and breathing as calmly as he could manage. Sitting as still as possible, letting his mind slip away for a bit and letting his Aura free, after a few minutes of trying. His semblance had a radius to it, he found rather quickly. About thirty feet in every direction, with more detail to the front where he was facing, and less to the back. Simple nuance from behind him, and outright thoughts and physical sensations to the front.

He felt the presences of his friends' minds more easily than before, reading thoughts and emotions without even glancing towards them. It was effortless to do. Ren's serene, calming presence and content feelings, comfortable with himself and his space. Pyrrha's anxiety, undercut by a previously hidden tentative joy, thinking about himself and Nora. He caught images of the girl sitting on top of him, and a flash of… something he couldn't identify. Nora was bubbly excitement through and through, happy to be alive and simply existing. Her thoughts bounced from thing to thing, first weights, then training, then Ren, and finally pancakes before he turned his attention away.

He felt all this in a rush of sensation and awareness, the echo of the same feeling all around him. Unlike before, it wasn't chaos and disorganized rabble that assaulted him relentlessly. It didn't cause a headache for him now, a fact that surprised him greatly. Curious, he reached out to another's mind. A young Faunus, staring at her feet while several men heckled her, pulling at her ears. He felt himself grow angry in the distance, but it was drowned out by her patience and understanding. She… well, she wasn't _okay_ with what was happening, but she was more concerned for the young man than with herself. The leader of the group was just as odd. Angry, but not at the woman. At himself, and constantly questioning what he was doing, and why.

" _Help…. Me…."_

Pain, confusion, loss, regret, and a dozen more painful emotions drew his mental eye. Far down, below him and everyone else. In the earth and below the stone, drawing him down.

"Jaune!" He flinched, flailing and half leaping into the air before falling back down, panting heavily and sweating more than he had when he'd been lifting the weights. "Jaune, are you okay? Is your illness acting up? Do you need a nurse?"

Pyrrha was kneeling next to his head, resting a hand to his cheek and looking him over in panic, the emotion rolling off her in waves that made him suddenly nauseous and dizzy. "W-Water…." He croaked, surprised by how thirsty he was.

Ren and Pyrrha looked to Nora, who tipped an affirmative and took off to the cooler across the room, rummaging for a cup of some kind. Ren returned his eyes to Jaune's face, "You were panicking when I came out of my trance. What happened?"

With a jolt, Jaune realized he couldn't sense anything. Not even the base background emotions, or thoughts. "B-Bad dream." He grunted lightly, Nora sliding to his side with water and offering it to him, the young man decided on a half-truth, to help his guilt. "I saw a girl, and she was… alone. In pain, and I saw a… I don't know, a pod or something."

 **(~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~)**

Ozpin's mug fell from his hands, shattering on the floor of his office, and both James and Glynda turned to look at him in shock. His eyes were locked onto a Scroll in his hands, which shook lightly, and Glynda strode across the room to him quickly, eyes worried. "Ozpin?"

James joined them a moment later, looking worried in a much more reserved fashion, "Ozpin, talk to us. What is it?"

"I need you both to do me a favor." He said calmly, closing the Scroll and setting it on the desk, "Find me every scrap, record, and rumor about Jaune Arc. Every single one."


	7. Christmas Eve AN

**~ Author's Notes ~**

 **~ Twisted ~**

 **So, a quick update on Elsa. She's gaining weight well enough, and calming down whenever left alone. Still dislikes it, of course, but not much will ever be doable about that, unfortunately. She still also underestimates her own weight, sitting in my ruddy lap.**

 **On to the story proper, since that's why you lovely sods are here. I have had multiple people commenting on grammar structure, and would like to apologize for that kerfuffle. If anyone would mind just coming in to pretty up my grammar, I have no issues adding you to my Doc. Just need an e-mail to give you my permissions, and I'll e-mail you whenever I need a review. Just PM or Review with your interest. I mostly owe the problem to my script writing format, where grammar is irrelevant as my actors tend to adlib a good deal. Which I like, and write to facilitate.**

 **Now, I have a small question. How much focus would you all like to see on the villains in this story? By which I mean, would entire chapters focused on said villains be liked? Or fuck off long ones with happenings for Jaune at the start, as usual? I ask because my pre-writing is showing very, very stale instances for our favorite knight-to-be.**

 **Finally, on Jaune at least, I would like to ask how much you would like him to change. Like, should his fighting style change? Equipment? That sort of thing. I have a dozen and more ideas on that, but would like to get some input. Should I use polls on Strawpoll, you think? Hm. A thought for later, I suppose.**

 **And the last thing I require or desire from you all… Character submissions, specifically for team BLCK. I do need the names to work for it though, so stick with first names that start as the team name indicates. Mika took one, to serve as an example, and it is listed below. Thanks.**

 **XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

 **Name: Luna Haile**

 **Gender: Female**

 **Race: Fox Faunus**

 **Age: 24 (Ages 22-23)**

 **Height: 5'3"**

 **Weapon(s):** _ **Trauer**_ **\- Armored gauntlets with a two inch claw on each finger, as well as a SMG built into the weapon.**

 **Armor/Equipment/Outfit: A light grey trench coat with a white blouse, both with light blue highlights, and light blue jeans accompanied by grey boots.**

 **Emblem: A light blue snowflake in a diamond, obviously different from the Schnee snowflake, if not by color, then by design.**

 **History: Luna and her little sister, Celeste, were raised by their aunt after the fall of Mountain Glenn eighteen years ago, while Celeste was just a few months old. Her mother was a tailor and her father was a construction worker, working on building Mountain Glenn. They were there when the Grimm attacked.**

 **Luna is the oldest member of Team BLCK, and for good reason- Every weapon she tried, she failed at, often spectacularly. She was held back a year due to no improvement, until a recently graduated Qrow Branwen decided to take her under his wing and help her find her niche. Under his tutelage, she flourished, rapidly going from a mastering what they found that she excelled at. Being 'the Designated Annoyance' as Qrow put it, she was adept at getting onto an enemy and making them miserable as a distraction, or annoying larger foes into following her while her team moved behind her.**

 **Affiliations (Beacon, the White Fang, etc.): Beacon, Team BLCK.**

 **Physical Description (Eyes, Hair, Build, etc.): Ice blue eyes, with loose, back-length light blue hair and a slight, petite build that makes her look harmless. She is, in fact, surprisingly strong for her size, though she is nowhere near the strongest, even among her team. She has a pair of light blue fox ears, with white fluff on her inner ear and on the tips.**

 **Personality: Warm, lovable, and loving, but sarcastic, impish, and, when angry, explosive and psychotic.**

 **Semblance: Ice Manipulation- She is able to control and manipulate ice to a frightening degree, the sole skill she excelled at and her lifeline in Beacon before Qrow's intervention. She can freeze the water in the air, almost instantly forming icicles that she can launch at her opponents.**


	8. Pieces Moving on the Board

**Character Submission Response:**

 **So, I've received a shite ton of character submissions over the holiday. They are all being considered, and edited to fit snugly, as I like and as they work. Thanks a lot for it. Now, if your guy doesn't pop up on BLCK, watch for someone very similar in later moments of the fic with just a different name. I will likely recycle them for that. Also, these characters will** _ **not**_ **be incredibly detailed in the story. That's not their purpose. They merely exist to fill a void I feel exists, at least right now, in the RWBY canon of actually active Huntsmen and Huntresses in the world, fighting Grimm. They'll be in large fights, and mentioned/used by high ranking officials. They likely won't, for example, have a long debate with Weiss or Blake about Faunus rights, nor one with Ruby about weapons. Etc ad infinitum.**

 **No Review Responses this time, so moving on from that to the story.**

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"Here." Jaune looked up, Pyrrha smiling gently and offering him a warm mug while he was curled up at the head of his bed, "For your health: tea with mint and honey. My mother used to make it for me whenever I would fall ill." " _It always helped me recover nicely; I'm joyful for the opportunity to share that."_

The voice was faint still, but Jaune was oddly comforted by its steady return was a Huntsman without a Semblance, after all? "Thanks, Pyr." He said, smiling and taking a sip of the liquid, "I'm all right now though, you don't have to worry."

"Of _course_ we're gonna worry, Jauney." Nora chided lightly, laying on the floor with her legs propped up on the bed next to Ren, who grunted an affirmative. Both were too far for him to 'hear' right now, and he grimaced slightly at that realization. "You're our leader. There may be a _lot_ of leaders out there, but you are all ours; so we have to take care of you - like a puppy!"

She looked up at Ren with a bright smile, waggling her eyebrows suggestively, and the young man sighed. "He is not a dog, Nora, and taking care of him wouldn't mean you could have a pet Beowolf anyways."

"But Ren~!"

"No, Nora." He said simply, smiling slightly and looking at Jaune, "Are you feeling better enough to talk about… what just happened?"

"No?" He tried, smiling uncomfortably for a moment. The other three all fixed him with raised brows and disapproving stares, and he sighed, "I… Dunno, I just saw it. I don't understand why, but… I did, and now I don't know. Is that a normal thing, Ren?"

Ren paused for a long minute in thought, before folding his hands in his lap and letting out a breath, "There… have been practitioners of Aura based martial arts that used deep meditation for discipline training. Those who further specialised, or had natural talent in, Aura manipulation… did complain of dreams and visions."

"Like psychics?" Nora asked innocently, fleet wiggling back and forth, "Is Jaune a psychic? That would be amazing!"

"That would explain what happened, I suppose. That coupled with your… 'history' could explain why you reacted the way you did." " _Perhaps we should avoid Aura training then? It would not do to kill our leader by making him train what he cannot learn."_ Pyrrha turned to Ren a moment later, chewing her lip slightly, "Perhaps we… should avoid this type of training then?"

"No!" Ren practically yelled, blinking and relaxing a moment later, "That, uh, that would be bad to do. From what I know, trying to quash this ability is… A very, very bad idea."

"Bad how?" Pyrrha asked shortly, and Jaune could feel the irritation rolling off her even _without_ his ability to truly feel it. "Like putting him on his back, after a panic attack? Or… whatever that ailment was?" " _The risk is unworthy of the reward."_

"Bad as in crippling Aura deficiencies, night terrors, uncontrollable seizures, and I'm sure there are more - those are just the ones I remember from the stories." Ren shot back slightly heatedly, eyes narrowing in surprising irritation before he relaxed. "If he is one of those who can reach out with their Auras in that way, then it is a must that he continue training it. To control it, if nothing else."

"And besides, this'll help me with my speed and Aura control anyways, right?" Jaune added, raising his head slightly and smiling at Pyrrha. He needed to do it again, to try and figure out who the girl was, and what she needed. "I mean, that's why we started, right? Might as well stick with it."

"But Jaune… You could fall ill, or get injured." Pyrrha argued, rubbing her hands together anxiously, "I do not think it wise to risk that. I understand your desire to improve, but perhaps we could just focus on strength and combat skill instead?" " _I can train you to be an exemplary swordsman, without such needless risk."_

Ren leaned forward slightly, eyes boring into the woman's and bringing him into Jaune's range of 'hearing', "That is a bad idea, Pyrrha. If you wish him to live well, at least. He'll be miserable unless he can control it, assuming he isn't dead." " _The legends spoke only of gruesome death and miserable lives."_

"And can we speak to the ones who taught you? Perhaps gain some manner of insight into this beyond the stories you heard as a youngster?" " _Such insanity…"_ Pyrrha asked snappily, standing up beside Jaune and laying a hand on his shoulder, "Or perhaps we should put Jaune's life at stake based on hearsay?"

"The last of my teachers were my parents." Ren said simply, eyes downcast and voice low, before he stood and turned towards the door. "They were killed by the Grimm when I was younger. I don't wish death on anyone, especially not someone close to me ever again. That is why I wish to continue Jaune's training, to protect him from himself. Because what do you think happens to Huntsmen that have such horrors, out in the field?" " _...death."_

Pyrrha sighed, looking at Jaune for a moment before letting out a long breath and pushing past Ren to head towards the door, "Come along, Nora. Let us leave the boys to train. Shall we fetch something to eat?"

"Oh! I want pizza!" She said brightly, giving Ren a quick hug and bouncing after the red-haired hoplite excitedly, "Do you think they have pizza? Or will they make us some? Oooh, I want bacon on mine if they do!"

The two men waited for a minute even after the women had left, Jaune sitting and Ren standing, before either spoke. "So, uh, what else do you know about these… people who had visions?"

"What do you mean? ...No, all I know of at least, are the visions. I don't know about anything else." " _What an odd question…"_ "They also tended to learn quite quickly, however. Almost prodigal growth, from what the stories tell." Ren sat on the bed across from him, chewing his lip slightly in thought, "I… suppose we shall find out the rest ourselves, if there is more."

"I guess?" Jaune mumbled unsurely, shifting back into the position Ren had shown him earlier. "Should we go ahead and start, or… do you need us to wait for some reason?"

"No, you may begin whenever you like. I shall observe quietly, in case you… have another episode." Ren said quietly, smiling encouragingly at him. He sat on the bed across from him, leaning against the wall comfortably. "Just return to what you were doing, and try to remain calm."

Jaune obeyed, closing his eyes and trying to steady his breathing like he'd been shown to. Unlike before, his 'reach' didn't expand nearly as far, only covering a few feet around him. After half an hour, it had shown little improvement, and Jaune was half tempted to stop… But he was enjoying it, surprisingly. It was relaxing, and to his surprise, a lot of that was actually the background noise from neighboring rooms, droning quietly in the background whenever he tried to _avoid_ paying close attention to anyone. The mixture of anxiety, anger, sadness, fear, love, relief, happiness.… Like light music and dancing at the edge of his vision. Enough to calm and entertain, but not cause him the normal pains, and instead even soothe them slightly.

His eyes blinked open when he heard someone enter through his door, and he looked up, blinking in the darkness of twilight. "Did things go well enough?" " _You seem alright, at least."_

"It went well, actually. He didn't have any attacks, and seemed at peace for the entirety of his meditation." Ren commented quietly, closing a book he'd opened gently and placing it on his nightstand, "I have to say, he's taken to the meditating quite well. My village had a legend about that…" " _It tells of a guilty conscience or a pure heart. Sometimes both, and the endings are usually unpleasant."_ "But... I can't seem to remember it."

"Unfortunate." Pyrrha said smoothly, suspicion rolling off her for a moment before she turned back to Jaune with a smile, "I am glad that your meditations went well, regardless." " _Though I find myself wondering what caused your issues in the first place."_

"Thanks, Pyr. Me too." He smiled sheepishly at her for a second, "I don't suppose that you brought any food back? I'm guessing that it's past closing for the cafeteria."

"Nora said that she would see to it, and return with food for you both." Pyrrha said simply, smiling back at him brightly, "She said that she would never allow her leader or Ren to go without a meal, if she could prevent it. And she suggested I return to check on you, while she took care of everything."

"You left Nora alone?" Ren muttered quietly, panic rolling off him in waves, "That... is very bad. Where is she?" " _Nora, please don't hurt the cooks…"_

"She should be in the kitchens. May I ask why you're so panicked?" Pyrrha asked confusedly, tilting her head to the side, "Is something wrong with her being on her own?"

Ren didn't answer, instead taking off down the hall as fast as he could run. Pyrrha and Jaune looked at each other for a moment before the building shook ever so slightly, and they ran to follow Ren in an equal panic.

 **(~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~)**

"His records are faked, Ozpin! He can't be allowed to stay here, faking your records to gain admittance to a military position is a _capital_ offense." Glynda argued loudly, pacing across his office's floor while Ozpin watched her walk, smiling in mild amusement, "Ozpin, if you hide this.. They could take your head, along with his! If you confront him now, you could give him a way to at least _survive_ the punishments for his crimes."

"Confronting him would be unwise." Ozpin argued almost instantly, repeating the sentence for the tenth time, "If he was clever enough and resourceful enough to accomplish that _and_ survive Initiation, I will grant him a chance to reach for his goals."

"But what if-"

"What if our enemy sends every Goliath on Remnant straight at us?" Ozpin asked quickly, cutting her off with an innocent smile and tilt of the head, "Or merely sends every last Grimm at us that they can reach? What if Atlas orders James to turn his flagship around and blow Beacon Tower from its foundations?"

"I don't understand what any of that has to do with this, sir." Glynda said curtly, glaring at him slightly, eyes searching his face for answers, "Explain for me?"

"Happily. You see, I do not deal in worrying about my own death, or retribution from others. No less than thirty people in Vale want me dead or imprisoned, and two of those sit on the Council. I stopped worrying long, long ago about the consequences of my actions beyond them defending Humanity as a whole against the Grimm." Ozpin paused to take a long sip of his coffee, the woman glaring at him mildly in irritation, "So you see, if he has a chance of becoming a useful weapon against the Grimm, I will use him as such. And for now, I am more than content to wait, and watch him."

"And if they come for you and him? What then?" She demanded angrily, gesturing out the window at Vale with a wave of her hand, "What will you do if they decide to do another of their 'investigations?'"

"I suppose I will be imprisoned on charges for treason." He said simply, shrugging as though it didn't matter in the slightest, "I am unconcerned. Salem is stepping up her own plans, half-measures won't stop her."

"Nor will a lack of them, should you be removed from a position to prevent them." She argued back easily, sighing and straightening when her Scroll beeped. She scanned it for a few moments, "James' soldiers are fighting Grimm along the village peripheries. Nothing new or interesting, though."

"As is to be expected. She's watching us, we're watching him, and both of us are waiting on something. I am waiting on new information, or for her to act again." He looked at Glynda again and tilted his head out the same window she'd waved out earlier, "And both of our decisions will affect at the least the Kingdom of Vale, though I've no doubt that _she_ will not stop her own course with Vale, if she succeeds."

"Very well then. I can see when my advice will be going unheeded, so what would you have me do for now?" Glynda asked crisply, back straight and eyes hard at her headmaster, who sighed at her defeated irritation.

"For now, intensify physical training regimens for the students, and our security. Keep an eye on Mister Arc, however, and make sure that his growth is monitored closely." He smiled after a half-second, as though struck by an idea all of the sudden, "In fact, if possible, arrange a mission for teams RWBY and JNPR, ostensibly to purge Grimm along the walls."

"A Purge Mission? You know as well as I do that those are restricted to third and fourth years!" Glynda snapped in surprise, blinking at him, "Is your lack of caring for the consequences of allowing Jaune to stay because you intend to have him _killed_? Because if so, I-"

"Do not insinuate that I wish any harm on my students, Miss Goodwitch." He interrupted lowly, glaring at her with anger she rarely saw. Hard eyed, straight backed, and stony faced, she was shocked into silence by his stature, "You will be accompanying them, along with team CFVY and a half dozen security droids. I will personally be aboard a relief Bullhead trailing you from inside the walls, and will fight in the field should they be attacked by anything beyond the caliber of three trainee teams, a Headmistress, and a squad of Atlesian mechanized infantry."

"You would fight yourself?" She asked quietly, eyes wide at the potential, "I… Very well, so long as you know what you are doing. May I ask why you are so determined though? Surely something easier could be arranged, like a scouting mission."

"I wish to push Miss Rose and Mister Arc a bit faster than normal, to help the former prove herself to her peers and see how Salem will react to the latter being out and about." Ozpin answered simply, nodding grimly when she grimaced sourly at the prospect, "I feel the same way, Glynda. But in chess, you must take chances at times."

"This isn't chess, Ozpin… These are our students. People." She argued, shaking her head in derision at him, "Or does that not still matter to you? How like _her_ will you allow yourself to become before you realize the path you're on?"

"When Vale was confronted by superior combat tactics in the Great War, we adopted them until we could refine them." Ozpin argued simply, shrugging, "Her tactics are working, so I am refining and revising them to make them work for me. I dislike doing this, but I will bear any and all sins on my shoulders in exchange for Humanity's continued survival."

"And when the weight becomes too much?"

"I suppose I'll be brought to heel by you." He answered with a comfortable smile, "I'm counting on it, frankly. You are my safeguard, in so many ways I can't even begin to explain them."

"I have to go, it appears one of _your_ students is ransacking the kitchens. With a hammer." She huffed, and turned to leave the room while Ozpin chuckled lightly.

 **(~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~)**

"No, you idiots, if you try and just raid the ships, the military will tear Vale apart to flex its muscles." Roman said snidely, leaning over the map and gesturing at the pieces indicating the White Fang units, "See this? This is a bad idea."

"And why is that? Those are my distraction teams." The White Fang lieutenant grumbled, arms crossed and tone agitated. "Without them, my spies can't smuggle a couple of the mechanized units out."

"Oh, I know. Such small thinking, you animals did right calling me in." He grabbed another two pieces, adding them to the five on the table and moving them to the gate, "Put your men here instead, out of uniform and with some recruits. Stage a protest about 'Atlas' use of the Schnee Dust Company's slave mined Dust', you'll probably gather support from non-White Fang members as a result. If you get enough, filter your boys out."

"And what do we do to get the machines then, Roman?" Cinder asked from across the small room, reclining in a chair languidly and smiling at him, "I suppose you have that figured out too?"

"Actually, yes, if you'd let me finish." He snarked, taking a puff from his cigar and pointing where the distraction squad had been originally, "Order your spies to try and smuggle small arms out there, and make sure the Atlas soldiers catch 'em. That'll start a fight, which will cause panic at the gate as well. Two fronts, see?"

"I do. But that ties up all my men, I can't get anyone in there to get the machines we need." The lieutenant added, leaning forward to reach for a few of the pieces at the 'protest', "Three of these and I can stage the raid as well, that'll cause even more chaos."

"Tut tut tut, that's too much." Roman chided lightly, smiling at him thinly, "That much and the fleet will come in faster to support the base."

"Then what do you suggest?" Cinder asked quietly, her patience clearly running thin. Roman swallowed nervously, taking a breath before speaking again nervously.

"If you, Neo, and your little entourage go in, you could get away with a freighter in the chaos. Stash the freighter just outside the walls to the south, off load it, then blow it up." He clapped his hands together, smiling widely and confidently in spite of Cinder's presence, "Boom, a couple dozen of the robots for the technophiles, a loss of assets for Atlas, and a save of people."

"I… didn't think you cared." The large White Fang member grunted, chuckling lightly.

"I don't. But my job is to take care of you animals, so keeping you alive is part of it." Roman chuckled, turning to head towards the door, "Anywho, gonna head out for a bit. Lemme know if you animals need me to grab some kibble at the market, alright?"

"I hate that man." The White Fang member grunted, striding towards the door with a sigh.

 **(~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~)**

Jaune sighed, scrubbing another pot clean while Nora sang a song to cheer them all on, "This is not what I was anticipating when we came to find you, Nora… I was hoping for something to eat, not a kitchen to clean."

"I'm sorry!" Pyrrha called from the end of the kitchen with an echoing tint, bent over and inside a stove to scrub it, "I expected her to bring leftovers, not attempt to conscript the faculty into cooking for us." " _Thought in retrospect…"_

"I would have told you of this, had I been here to prevent this." Ren quipped quietly from atop a ladder, scrubbing the roof to get rid of the soot from a fire Nora had started, "Next time, message me." " _Luckily, she didn't maim anyone this time…"_

"Less talking and more scrubbing, you four." Glynda barked angrily, tapping her foot impatiently while she watched them work, "Your team member created this mess, you may all clean it together. Consider it team building." " _And… I suppose I can arrange a meal for you afterwards."_

"You heard the lady, put your backs into it!" Nora crowed, mopping the floors vigorously, "Conquests have consequences~!" " _But they're fun enough to be so worth it~!"_

Jaune simply chuckled and returned to his cleaning.

 **XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

 **Twisted~ So, the submitter of Liseran, I need you to rename your character. I have an L already. Otherwise, you're in. The other two to get in are Kale and Char, so you have a B name to work in.**

 **Mika ~ Twisted got to choose Kale and Char, I got to make Luna and pick Liseran.**

 **Twisted~ Also, a quick thanks to my grammar editor, Minesniper.**


	9. Slow but Steady

**Review Responses:**

 **Jinx:**

 **Twisted ~ Sorry you don't like this as much.**

 **Lux Eterna:**

 **Twisted ~ Not searching anymore, but catalogue it for later. May need more eventually. Also, cool name.**

 **Lost King:**

 **Twisted ~ I have a guy helping on grammar now. And don't stress long reviews, I enjoy 'em. Just a 'good shit bruh' is awesome, but something special exists in long, thought out, reviews. Might be me bein' weird.**

 **Green Shadow:**

 **Twisted ~ Thank you, Green, I appreciate it.**

 **Jinx (Chapter 8):**

 **Twisted ~ Glad you are warming up to it.**

 **Zen-aku:**

 **Twisted ~ Mostly a mix of Shakespearean english and Greco prose, with my own spin on both, to adapt. In the show, she has a mildly refined way of speaking. I tried to match, made that, liked it.**

 **RPG Person:**

 **Twisted ~ Read all your reviews, dear god you like to type. I love it. And the only contention I have is that you should always go full Nora. Always. Because Nora.**

 **Nana:**

 **Twisted ~ And I thought RPG liked to type, lol. I got this, trust me a bit, eh? Not too much though.**

 **Bleach:**

 **Twisted~ Glad you're liking it.**

 **Ressan:**

 **Twisted~ It was en extent issue. Faking a few grades in a transcript? That's one thing. Even faking whole sections would be one thing. But an entire career of education, the kind to make him a leader? Glynda wasn't aware of that extent.**

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"I am going to be delayed, Cinder. It cannot be helped." Adam growled, standing in the middle of a parking garage his particular group were living in, empty aside from a couple guards at the door. "Sienna Khan has demanded I come see him, I have to put the fire out there before we can move forward. Then I have to see Ghira as well, to… convince him that we will avoid large conflicts that would bring aggression to Menagerie."

"That is… disappointing, but unavoidable." Cinder intoned quietly, sighing on the other end and washing the low end Scroll with static, "Can we still expect the men we need? Our plan's success should convince him of your own."

"I don't think raiding _Atlas_ will make him think we are avoiding large conflicts, Cinder." He argued shortly, pacing in a circle a couple fee wide, "He wants peace more than anything right now, and if I don't do as he-"

"If you _do_ as he says, you know what your real master will do." Cinder interrupted smoothly, that typical cocky attitude clear in her voice and grating in his ears, "Let him bluster, the White Fang here follow you and I, not him. He won't kill you for disagreeing with him, so simply return here. Because, unlike him, I don't mind spilling blood if you turn from me."

"I understand, woman. I will come when I am able." He smashed the button on his Scroll, flinging it into a nearby wall with a roar after a moment. "Dust damn it all to hell!"

"Sir?" He turned sharply, the young man flinching in surprise, "I, uh, wanted to make sure you were alright, sir."

"I'm… I'm fine, Graves. You don't have to worry about me. If I remember right, you have a sister that's expecting?" He smiled at the man, forced and stiff, and he knew that the man could tell. Just like the man knew he was only being civil, but smiled anyways.

"Yes, sir. She's s'posed to pop anytime in the next few days. A girl." He smiled at his boss, grinning widely beneath the helmet and his rifle held in relaxed hands, "She and her husband are arguing about names now."

"A little late, isn't it?" Adam asked quietly, turning to the door and gesturing for the man to follow- a distraction more than anything. "They've had nine months, how can they still be arguing about it?"

"That's what I keep saying!" He laughed, following his leader through the room, "What kinda name is she gonna end up with anyways, if they can't decide on one?"

 **(~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~)**

Cinder glared at the small, blinking icon that indicated she'd been hung up on for a minute before sighing in irritation and collapsing it, sliding it into her bra for safekeeping; anyone reaching in _there_ would have problems even with her Scroll in hand. Immolation being one of them. She adjusted her sleeping garments into a more comfortable position, cracking her neck and groaning. The bed looked plush and soft, as did the rest of her room at the 'Fang hideout, but it wasn't quite as comfortable as she was used to.

"Cinder?" Her head snapped up quickly, startling Emerald slightly in the doorway to her room, the plates clattering and tinkling slightly when she jumped. "I-I know you said you didn't want anyone to come in, but I-I figured, maybe, you'd be hungry?"

"So you elected to bring me a meal yourself? What do you think I am, a _child_ that can't so much as eat or send for food without you?" She snarked lightly, smiling at the girl to show she was playing before sighing at the timid thing and gesturing to her bed, "Set that food somewhere and come sit down, Emerald."

"Uh, y-yes, ma'am," She half-squeaked, looking away when Cinder crossed her legs teasingly. She quickly set the steak and potatoes she'd managed to find on Cinder's dresser, and went to sit next to her mistress nervously.

"I'm sorry I snapped at you; Adam is just being infuriating, as usual." Cinder said quietly, reaching a hand up to toy with the stiff girl's hair playfully, "And I do appreciate the food, although I think there is more to your intent than simply feeding me."

"N-No! I was just worried that you would be hungry, and I knew you were calling _him_ and he always irritates you, s-so I went to the kitchens and got you something you would like!" She argued quietly, twiddling her thumbs nervously while Cinder played with her hair.

Cinder hummed in thought, running her hand through her hair and down her back, ghosting just inside the hem of Emerald's top teasingly before pulling away, "A shame, then. I must have misread your desires; if you were willing to take what you wanted… I would have enjoyed something more _relaxing_."

"B-But I-I didn't think you'd-" She reached for Cinder's hands, but the woman stood and took a few steps away, heading towards the food.

"Next time, don't hesitate. What you want is yours- you need only take it." She turned, her gown rustling quietly, and put a hand on her hip, "When you are willing to take it, you may have it. That is how life works. See what you want, wait for the time to strike, then don't hesitate. _Take_ it. Now leave me, so I may eat in peace."

"I…" Emerald sighed, standing and looking at her sadly, "Yes ma'am." Cinder watched the young woman walk from the room stiffly, waiting for the door to shut before sighing and picking up her food.

"Silly girl."

 **(~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~)**

Qrow spun, his scythe singing upwards and through and Ursa Major's throat easily as he chuckled, "Ah, I missed going on hunts like these, back in the day."

A Beowolf leapt at him, and he sidestepped it easily, two gunshots cracking out in the forest and disintegrating its head, "You should watch your back. Preferably before it gets ripped open."

"I had it handled." Qrow grumbled quietly, chuckling lightly and rolling his shoulders, "Where's your team, anyways? Shouldn't you be watching _their_ backs instead of mine?"

"'Bout a hundred yards to the east, Beau told me to check on you." He shrugged, turning towards the woods with a revolver raised, the black surface shining lightly, "Told her we shouldn't worry about you."

"Surprising confidence in my abilities." Qrow commented, smiling and walking past him in the direction he'd indicated. "They wantin' my help? A few of the lil' piggies I sent you all after need a proper sticking?"

"No, I said that if you died, you weren't a good Huntsman, so we should ignore you." The man muttered lowly, glaring at him lightly and stepping past, "And I doubt _you_ know anything about sticking anything but pigs, so you could show us a trick if you like."

"Ass." Qrow grunted, before smiling, "Speaking of asses.…"

"Get near Beau, and I will shoot your cock off." The younger Hunter growled, brandishing his gun threateningly, "I rarely miss; but even if I do, she'll tie you up, and leave you out in the woods."

"Kinky."

"Son of a bitch." He grunted, turning and storming off towards the sound of muted explosions and snarling animals. "Just come the fuck on and do your job."

"It's actually _your_ job, I'm just helping. Out of the goodness of my pure, pure heart, I assure you." Qrow added with a smirk at the man, who sighed. "Your leader's firm, leather clad, behind is all yours, don't worry." Qrow chuckled when the other man sighed exhaustively. "Incoming."

The warning was just enough for the younger man to brace himself as a grey streak hit him, knocking him onto his back. "Thanks for the save, Char. By the way, there were three Geists, not two." The streak, a grey-clad Fox Faunus said as she took belts of pistol rounds and fed them into her gauntlets before running back into the fray. "Hurry the hell up!"

"Speaking of said asses…." Qrow said with a chuckle, lining his sword up horizontally and charging through the woods brazenly.

"Stop talking about their asses, damn it!" The other yelled, following behind quickly with a small scowl. He caught up in time to see one of the Gheists, inhabiting a few trees that it had intertwined around it protectively, dragged down by the massive Kale, his greatsword in the dirt at his side, and Beau using her whip. Qrow shot into the air, coming down on top of it and shattering its mask easily, killing it.

"Trip 'em up or stagger 'em, then go for the throat." Qrow advised quietly, standing forward with a smile, "Easy as pie."

 **(~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~)**

Winter's sword flicked, a line of ice bisecting a Boarbatusk and flinging it's pieces to either side without any stress, "Number three, report again on Grimm activity in this area?"

"Predicted heavy Grimm presence, mostly light units and horde types, such as Beowolves and Creeps." One of the drones intoned, marching beside her mechanically with its rifle readied, "Reports appear inaccurate."

"It is kind of odd. Where are all the fluffy, black bastards, anyways? I want to get the most out of Shiro before I get the new Mechs." A female voice said from a white-painted bipedal mech, trundling along behind her loudly, its dual guns whirring almost in a bored way. "The old girl deserves a better send off than this…."

"It's… definitely suspicious, to say the least." Winter agreed, shaking her head and grimacing, "Why would the Grimm leave?" The woods gave way to a large, open clearing, dotted with large slabs resting in the dirt here and there. "This is the location, so where did they go? Was the information simply incorrect, or… is this a trick by someone playing with Atlas?"

"Unknown, Specialist. The Grimm employ tactics as often as they do not." The drone intoned again, "Warning: Alpha presence likely when tactics are observed above basic instinctual levels. Advise caution or retreat, Specialist Schnee."

"Prepping the heavier cannons. Just in case we need to blow the literal hell out of something… big." The pilot said easily, "If we hold position for a few, I can do a radar scan, Specialist."

"Do it. Drones, circle formation, use the stones to avoid digging types. You too, Pilot. Assume hostiles inbound until the scan confirms otherwise." The drones didn't respond, instead the six of them moving into a circle formation around Winter and the Squire, kneeling with rifles ready in the large clearing. The Pilot also wordlessly moved to one of the stones, and Winter herself stood beside her machine, observing the area critically, "Pilot, run the scan."

"Running it, just hold on a tick." She answered, turning the top of the mech in a slow circle, the machine whirring quietly in the otherwise dead silence of the forest. Winter turned too, looking around and up, at Vale's High Wall in the background, a few miles off at best. She barely got a quarter of the way through her scan before she opened fire with her twin cannons and four fire-synced machine guns, turning slowly to create an arc of fire. "Grimm, surrounding us, I see three Alpha class among them! They're hiding from my fire in the trees, I can't get a bead without compromising the formation."

"Damn it… Drones, supporting fire. Pilot, check yours, I'm engaging in melee to try and flush them out. Hold position, the last thing we need is you being ambushed by a Deathstalker or a horde of Creeps." She barked, leaping forward and flicking her sword, beheading an unlucky Beowolf. "Drones, tighten formation, but maintain it and stay on the stones."

They stood stiffly, rifles barking bursts of automatic fire into the approaching packs, combining with the fire from the Squire to keep them at bay, "Specialist, advise request for support from the fleet. There's more coming, at least on my short range radar."

"No!" She barked back angrily, flicking a trail of ice spikes into the packs and pinning a few to the ground, some snarling and yipping in rage and pain, "We can hold them off, I just need to kill those Alphas, and the rest will lose their cohesion! Maintain positions, drones."

"Yes ma'am." The pilot grumbled, turning and opening fire on a particularly dense cluster of the Beowolves, "Scans are showing Creeps and more 'Wolves on their way, ma'am."

She grunted an acknowledgement, and grimaced before channeling her Aura, "Drones, check fire. I am using my Semblance, so suppress around me until I am ready." She swallowed nervously, backpedaling from a Creep's swipe, "Confirm command."

"Command confirmed." The drone nearby monotoned, standing and turning to fire around Winter, suppressing the Grimm. "Other Knights status: Unable to assist without compromising Squire safety."

"Good enough…." She murmured, closing her eyes enough to focus and think of something useful she could summon. Smiling, she flicked her hand out, and a Glyph spun into existence beside her on the ground, the tip of her fingers touching it, allowing her Aura to flow out and weave the form she had decided on.

The Atlesian Colossus appeared with a muted thud, slamming a boot down onto an unfortunate Creep before plucking a Beowolf from the ground and crushing it in its hand, flinging it aside dismissively. She remembered this Colossus vaguely, she'd watched Weiss duel it for her right to attend Beacon.

"Damn it…." She'd summoned it without its weapon, a common enough problem with creating things that aren't their original Summon. "Colossus, eliminate the Alphas."

It didn't respond, instead straightening and throwing a Creep into a Beowolf, three more scrabbling across its back as it trundled forward. The three Alphas roared, charging from cover and attacking the summon viciously, using its body as cover from the Squire behind it. The Colossus caught the first in both hands, snapping it in two easily and dropping the corpse. The other two joined the three minor Beowolves scrabbling on its back, the more powerful claws digging into the Aura metal viciously.

It staggered under the weight, and Winter's eyes narrowed, "Drones, priority shift. Support the Colossus. Squire, close with us and support as well."

"But-"

"That's an order, Pilot." She barked, standing and charging into the fray, a spinning whirlwind of death and ice, lashing out and bisecting weaker Grimm to ease the burden on her drones and her Pilot's Squire.

"God damned Huntresses and their skip-promotions…" The Pilot muttered, turning from her superior position and trudging towards the fray heavily, firing its lighter cannons into the area around the Drones, the Grimm closing in. She slammed a foot into one that leapt at a Knight and missed. It snarled from beneath her mech's foot before she added some weight and crushed it entirely with a squelch. "Specialist, we're being overrun!"

"Hold position! My Colossus has eliminated the Alphas, their cohesion shouldn't hold much-"

"Drone Four is down, and I have three Creeps on my hull!" The Pilot argued, turning to smack one off her leg with a gun barrel and sweeping the field with a torrent of fire, "And my guns are heating up too much, they'll melt at this rate." She winced when two Beowolves dragged Six down and tore it limb from limb, feeling mild sympathy for the robot before she fired a heavy shot that blew it, and the Grimm, to bits and pieces. "We need support, and I'm calling for it."

"I… you're right, call in a drop." Winter conceded, watching her Colossus turn and knock a tree over onto several Beowolves, "What the hell is the problem with these things? They're attacking more insanely than normal…."

"Support is on its way, three squads of drones and a squad of Atlesian Soldiers." The Pilot informed her, turning and trundling towards her, "Climb onto my mech, we need to make a retreat."

"What? Why?" Winter asked in irritation, turning to look at the blood-soaked mech, smoke belching from a few breaches in its armor, "What's going on?"

"The fleet is under attack as well, we're to retreat to an area closer to the walls and coordinate with air forces to fight." The Pilot told her, the woman climbing on top of the Squire carefully and holding into the handle the Pilot would use to climb into the cockpit, "The Drones will stay and fight, leave your… thing with them. They'll buy us time." She grimaced, but gave the orders anyways, and they stomped away as fast as the walking Atlesian tank could carry them.

"I understand." She sighed, shaking her head, "As bad as normal, I suppose. Aside from the… odd coordination. I guarantee the General gets more troops down here now, Atlesian honor is at stake."

"Whatever you say, Specialist." The Pilot answered back, rolling her eyes, "I'll note it in my report."

 **(~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~)**

Jaune grunted painfully, breath shooting out of him in a rush of air as his body curled around Cardin's mace and he staggered back, coughing but raising his shield to ward off a swing he sensed headed towards his head. It half-worked, the blow spinning him rather than tossing him away entirely, and he heard Cardin laughing before a boot met his ass and threw him down, the buzzer for the match sounding a moment later.

"Mister Arc, while you have improved a great deal in the last week, you still have a long way to go. However, I would stick to your current training, the improvements are marked." Professor Goodwitch said crisply, stepping into the center of the arena to address them both, "Mister Winchester, you put too much emphasis on offense, and need to learn to defend properly. Simply hitting things won't make for a long life for you." " _A surprising and quite impressive improvement, indeed."_

"I won, why the hell are you scolding me?" " _I kicked the little shit's ass, isn't that the point?"_ Cardin demanded angrily, sneering and jerking his head at Jaune while he staggered up, "Get off my case, he's the one who lost."

"Yes, he is, just as he lost his first match to you. However, in a week's time, he went from unable to last thirty seconds, to lasting three minutes, and learning to defend against your attacks." Glynda informed him coolly, hard eyes boring into him, " _He,_ has had a six hundred percent increase in combat skill. You have shown zero. And the next time you swear in my class, you will face _me_ in the arena yourself. Am I understood?" " _Insufferable teenagers…"_

"Yes, ma'am." He grumbled, shoving past Jaune and making his way to his seat stiffly, thoughts angry and spinning like a maelstrom.

"Mister Arc, if you like, you may return to your dorm and rest." Glynda added quietly, stepping up to stand next to him, concern emanating from her in waves. "You took some moderately powerful blows in that bout, and it wouldn't do to force yourself to persist while injured." " _Those hits would have winded even me, at your age… I can't imagine how someone who is barely more than a civilian holds up against it."_

"Yeah, I'll do that." Jaune agreed, smiling and nodding at her in spite of the barbed thoughts, "Get some rest, before classes tomorrow." He was fine, but it would be a nice chance to meditate and ease the ache in his head from the fight, and the people around him, "Thanks, Miss Goodwitch."

"Miss Rose, you have had your round today, would you mind accompanying Mister Arc back to his room?" She called out, striding away easily, "Ensure he gets some rest, if you please." " _I need to oversee some examples being made, I feel."_

"Yep!" Jaune jumped when she flashed to his side in a flurry of rose petals, smiling brightly, "I can keep an eye on him for you, ma'am!" " _Simple enough, anyone could handle that."_

"Thank you." She said simply, turning and looking at the group, "The next match will be… Dove Bronzewing and Pyrrha Nikos." " _That should prove an example enough…."_

Jaune chuckled quietly, walking towards the exit with Ruby in tow, doing his best to keep from laughing at the professor's thoughts. They only made it halfway down the hallway to the dorms when Ruby spoke up again, "Soooo, we should sneak and go grab some snacks." " _I could eat a horse… A horse shaped cookie? Nah, no way they'd make that for me."_

"We could, yeah. Or you could run there yourself, get a couple pizzas, say they're for a guy that was excused from combat class, and come to my dorm?" He smiled at her, hearing the thoughts whirl by at the suggestion, before she nodded and shot off in a flash of rose petals. "That was fast… and easy."

He returned to walking, pushing the door to his room open and starting to undo the straps of his armor, humming lightly. Aside from the upperclassmen on higher floors, everyone was out at classes, so it was quiet. Setting the plate armor and hoodie in his closet with his weapon, and making a mental note to return it to his locker eventually, he plopped onto his bed with a grunt. He stared at the ceiling for several seconds before sitting up and returning to the now-familiar meditating position- relaxing quickly with a sigh and reaching out for minds to hear and feel, eyes to see through.

The first was an upperclassmen arguing via Scroll with her team, "I know it's not right, Coco, but there's nothing I can do about it."

"You could kick his damn ass!" She snarked back over the static, voice echoing through his link to the Faunus' eyes and ears, "That would probably teach him a lesson about fucking with you."

"And turn his attention on other Faunus as well." She argued back simply, smiling lightly at the other woman and her friends, "I'm from Atlas, Coco, there wasn't a day there that someone didn't grab my ears, or my butt to feel for a tail. I can take this. Others might not be able to, though."

"So you choose your own pain over others." A large man rumbled quietly, sighing, "I dislike it, though I understand it."

" _Help…"_ he flinched, turning his attention away from the Faunus woman and diving towards the voice once again. It was the only time he'd heard it since that first day in the training room. The same pain assaulted him, the sensations of fire, burning, panic, suffocation, all piling on more and more the longer he was in contact with whoever this was.

Then he saw something, for the first time with any real clarity. A… cavern, of some sort, stretching out somewhere below him and dimly lit with green torches. 'He' turned 'his' head, looking around and observing as much as possible before pain lanced through him in his dorm _, "Who are you? Where are you?_ What _are you?"_

Swallowing nervously, he did his best to ignore the flashes of pain and fear he was feeling and responded, " _My name is Jaune. I'm… a Huntsman in training, at Beacon. I… I feel so much pain… is that you?"_

" _Yes."_ She answered after a moment, sighing across the link along with a sense of relief and joy, " _I was attacked, and I'm… I don't know, in a coma or something, but it hurts so much.…"_

" _I know, I can feel it too."_ He answered with a wince, grimacing at the feelings, " _I… don't know how long I can stay linked to you like this before I can't maintain it anymore."_

" _D-Don't push yourself too far, Jaune. If you need to leave, do so. Just… come back. I have no one I can speak to."_ He smiled sadly, and felt the sorrow rolling off her at the statement.

" _My friend is coming back, but I'll come back to you as soon as I can and try to find a way to help, okay?"_ He sensed her resignation and sighed, receding and returning to his dorm. He looked up when the door opened and Ruby came in, laden with a dozen pizzas.

"Jaune! I got food!" She cheered, setting it on a bed before smiling and turning to him, "This should be-" She blushed, spinning around and yanking her hood over her head, "W-Where is your shirt, Jaune?" " _So many muscles… Yang's gonna tease me until I die."_

"I was hot and sweaty, and didn't want to mess up a shirt for no reason." He said, shrugging and plucking a shirt off the floor, "But if it bothers you, I'll-"

"N-No!" She said, spinning around with wide eyes and flushed cheeks, "Y-You don't have to… I'll just eat and leave anyways, so…" " _So many muscles…."_ "You don't have to."

"Alright." He said, smiling and stretching out teasingly, sensing and feeling her eyes. It was a nice ego boost, especially after the stomping in the arena earlier. "Then let's eat, shall we?"

They ate in silence for a while, until Jaune eventually flipped on a television sitting against the wall opposite his window and began flipping channels, " _I hope X-Ray and Vav is on, I missed the premiere.…"_ With a barely hidden smile, he swapped to the appropriate channel where he knew a marathon was running. Ruby squeed happily before wrapping herself up in her cloak and watching the show, sitting on the floor by the edge of his bed.

"I guess I know what we're watching." He said quietly with a laugh. He reclined comfortably and sighed with content, listening as much to Ruby's mind as the show, and relaxing because of it.

 **(~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~)**

 **AN-**

 **Mika~ Twisted, guess what?**

 **Twisted~ Sup?**

 **Mika~ I'm going to be an** _ **Oba-san.**_

 **Twisted~ Mini Oba-san?**

 **Mika~ Yus.**

 **Twisted~ Neat. *pokes forehead***

 **Mika~ You don't know japanese honorifics, do you?**

 **Twisted~ I know some, but Pendor crashed and ate ten hours of my life, so... Thinking is not so fun.**

 **Mika~** _ **Oba-san**_ **is a Japanese honorific for Aunt.**

 **Twisted~ Tiniest of all aunts~**

 **Mika~ Indeed.**

 **Twisted~ Also, as of posting this, shit's gonna slow down a lot. Starting full time work, plus the Temple Walkers, which means less writing time, sadly. I'm sorry about it, truly, but I need teh moneys to exist. The 'Walkers run a , and you can donate to it and state you want me to write here, if you want to. Otherwise, time is just going to be constrained. Five of us are also looking for a place to rent and work in, so that may speed things up when it happens. Still gonna write, but there will be significant delays until I can justify this over, say, a day at my job. As always, love you guys, drop me a Review with any input. And also as always, thanks to Mine for the editing work. Means a lot, helps more.**


	10. Back to It

**~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Review Responses ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~**

 **Sorry No Names:**

 **Twisted ~ I am a mild Lancaster shipper, personally. I could, and do, see growth between the two happening in the situations presented in the canonical show. Like that, if I do it, mine will be a slow burn.**

 **Desdelor:**

 **Twisted ~ I intend to do just that. Glad you're enjoying the story so far.**

 **Mo Eazy:**

 **Twisted ~ I will continue it. I rather like the thread myself.**

 **Mark:**

 **Twisted ~ I will try my very best to keep updates rolling. As I said, work has to come first, because food. Then comes the 'Walkers, because potential for work in future and thus food and free time opening up. Then this, because it lacks any real potential to make money.**

 **Persona:**

 **Twisted ~ Man, I love your Reviews. Always so in depth and thoughtful. Cinder was remarking about incinerating someone for touching her, but I should have inserted a joke there. Ah, missed chances. I think I posted the selected character's names, didn't I? It's Kale, Luna, Char and Beu. Char was talking, I believe. Winter was less cocky, more overwhelmed in the moment. New officer, surprising problems, it's common enough in the military. Especially because COs sometimes have less in-field experience than NCOs that don't advance for whatever reason. The Pilot is more experienced, Winter is a Huntress. That arrangement was actually meant to represent more about Glynda than anything, and her disdain for the prideful and vain. The rest of my response is summed up by the word 'shipping.'**

 **Actual Turtle:**

 **Twisted ~ That'd be the idea, yeah.**

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 **Twisted ~ Also, Minesweeper - whose name I find quite appropriate now that I think about it - has edited all chapters starting at chapter one now, if anyone would like to skim a slightly better read.**

 **Minesniper ~ Seeing as how (despite drawing attention to it) you didn't get my name right, I'm beginning to understand why I'm here. Hello everyone!**

 **Twisted ~ ... Not my fault.**

 **Mika~ Apologies I couldn't have helped….**

 **Twisted~ We write, he edits. Catches stuff neither of us do, at least when we write it. Is normal. Also, as a note, some have said they would rather we not do villain chapters. Thoughts on that Idea?**

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 **(~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~)**

Winter's heels clicked loudly in her ears with each step, marching through the base with a tired grimace to give her report. She reported to General Ironwood directly, and that came with some… less than wonderful things, like _reporting_ to him after a mission directly. No paper work, but if something went wrong she'd hear it immediately, and in force. Soldiers, technicians and mechs passed her in the hall, all on their way to their own tasks- seeing to the day-to-day combat against the Grimm, who as always, flung themselves at Vale's wall without hesitation. Or success, for that matter, not that the bestial creatures cared for their losses in any real way.

She paused for a moment at the large, dark wood door near the end of the hall directly beside the exit out onto a small, private, landing pad. The General's' own Bullhead and a squad of guards were out there, the machines mechanically marching while the men worked on the transport or talked amongst themselves, in the idle time between missions or assignments.

She reached up, knocked on the door three times, and waited until she heard the shout from inside, "Come in, Specialist."

She took a breath and pushed the door open, marching automatically to stand at attention across his desk, fully aware of the dirt and grime still marring her uniform's appearance, "Sir, reporting for post-mission debrief as ordered."

"Good. I have the reports from your Paladin pilot as well, "He said quietly, holding it up to show her before setting it down, "Do you question its legitimacy?"

"No, sir."

"Good. I will file it as validated then. Now, make your report." He said simply, opening a drawer and sliding it into the desk before reclining comfortably to listen, "And at ease, you are not to be reprimanded."

"Yes, sir." She said, relaxing slightly, "We made our patrol route, as ordered, and were set upon by several packs of Beowolves, being led by Alphas and supported by Creeps. We attempted to engage their forces, and held our ground as long as we were able. We were eventually forced to retreat, after receiving reports of the fleet being in combat as well and unable to render assistance."

"Yes, we were attacked by a moderate force of Nevermores- larger than was anticipated. They were easy enough to keep back, but diverting forces from the air to support you might have left Vale at risk." He sighed, shrugging lightly, "I ordered all patrolling units to withdrawal personally. This happens, on occasion, when the Grimm get out of hand nearby."

"I understand, sir." She paused for a moment before continuing, "However, the Beowolves' tactics didn't match up to our reports. They were much more tactical, keeping forces in reserve and sending the better fighters in only after the lighter ones had distracted our drones. Against humans, that wouldn't have worked."

"And you think that that may be something that was planned for?" He asked quietly, raising a thing eyebrow worriedly. She nodded, and he sighed, "Understood. You are dismissed, Specialist. Get some rest, and a shower, you appear to need both."

"Yes, sir. Thank you." She snapped a crisp enough salute, before turning and striding from the room. James waited until the door had shut before turning to his computer and pressing a button.

"Did you hear that?" He asked lowly, looking at the small chess icon turning on the screen, "Your hunch seems to be right. Do you want me to send you any reinforcements?"

"Nah, BLCK and I are pulling back for now, setting up a campsite in a cave system. It's clear enough for Beacon's security to handle, nothing high class. But we're staying in the area for a while, just in case." Qrow grumbled across the line, static crackling slightly from his being in the field. "A couple ships might help though, keep the fliers at bay. Don't really have people here who can take 'em too easily."

"I'll allocate one of my light carriers to the area, and give you their contact information, as well as order them to support you when requested." James said simply, flicking open his Scroll and typing out the commands, "Do you need anything else?"

"Provisions and basic camping gear suited to a cave system would be helpful, none of us much care for sleeping on rocks." Qrow said off-handedly, "Other than that? Just ammo. We're mostly scouting and eliminating smaller packs and lesser Grimm on their own now, so it isn't so bad."

"You'll get it, then. Good luck, and be sure to stay in touch. If you need anything else, at any time, just send word up and I will see to it." The other man nodded simply, and James shut off the connection, returning to his work diligently without another word.

 **(~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~)**

Adam paced quietly through the ship, walking past sleeping soldiers with a thin smile. He always enjoyed traveling to Vacuo, even when he knew he was to be given a rather thorough dressing down. In Vacuo, the White Fang was more accepted than anywhere else in the world, aside from Menagerie, and they were able to walk openly in the streets in many places. This particular ship was mostly crewed by those same soldiers of the 'Fang, ones who could relax while travelling to the friendlier state.

But this was... different. Off. The men and women from Vacuo were relaxed, sure, but his men were tense, agitated and ready to snap. Two of them sat at the end of the hall, arms crossed and arguing quietly. They stopped as he approached and stood by them, the two men nodding respectfully, "What's the matter here?"

"Boss, that news article… It's got all of us from outside Vacuo pissed and wantin' some payback." One grumbled lowly, shaking his head in irritation.

"Respectfully, Boss, that's because they don't know Vacuo like we do. We got this, just need some time."

"What news? Did the White Fang do something and no one inform me?" He demanded angrily, inclining his head to show his horns (and irritation).

"No, some human did what they do best."

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Mind Games Cont. (Copy and Paste Later)

"What do you mean, soldier?" Adam growled lowly, heart spiking in anxiety and anger over the potential news. "What has occurred, and why wasn't I informed?"

"A couple of humans raped and killed two rabbit Faunus in the outer city, one of the slums still left over from the Great War." The larger Faunus growled, spitting angrily, "Disgusting humans... As for you, sir, I… would think you'd been informed."

"Yeah, we figured you knew already. Hell, some here think that's why you're going to Vacuo in the first place."

"It's not." Adam grunted, turning to glare at a wall, "But I will add it to my list of things to do when I arrive, before I get to my orders."

"But… why wouldn't Sienna Khan tell you in the first place, if you were already coming?" The smaller, Valean Faunus spoke quietly, shaking his head, "It doesn't make sense not to inform a visiting commander of the situation. You could be killed in another attack!"

Adam paused for several seconds, thinking to himself further ahead than most would credit him as able to do, before smiling. "Sienna Khan summoned me personally, though he neglected to say why. I do know he disapproves of our actions in Vale however… and neglecting to warn me of such a situation as well, knowing the risk it might pose?"

"Yeah, that's…." He paused for a moment, looking at a wall before he murmured, "Could that be on purpose? Would Sienna do that, just over a difference of opinion?"

"He ousted the Belladonnas when they disagreed with the more violent policies, didn't he?" The other asked, looking at Adam with a start, "Not counting your… woman, of course, sir."

"Indeed." Adam said lowly, growling and jerking around, smiling thinly to himself, "Perhaps… perhaps I should be more wary."

"I would suggest it, sir. And if you need me-"

"I know I can count on you, you both are loyal to our cause." He turned and smiled warmly at them, resting a hand on the Valean's shoulder, "When we reach Vacuo, hunt down the murderers you mentioned, on my orders. Kill them both. Do not speak of what has been said here, not until I know what the next step is."

"Yes, sir." They both said, nodding eagerly. The larger Vacuan turned and walked away purposefully, steps light but firm. The Valean gave him a nod and followed, Adam smiled at their retreating backs.

"Plant the seeds, and watch the flowers bloom…" He turned and made his way back through the halls of the ship, relaxing slightly at his plan's ease of success, "then watch theirs wilt."

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Penny reclined comfortably, smiling and casually watching television in her father's laboratory. She quite enjoyed X-Ray and Vav, and catalogued everything they did and said - minus the swearing, of which her father had informed her to be impolite - for her studies on normal human behavior. She needed to be prepared for their upcoming trip to Vale.

Or her trip, at least. "Dear, you really should be packing your extra pieces for the trip. I won't be there to run your maintenance for a couple of months, so you will be doing it yourself."

"I know, father. Don't worry, I can handle it for you." She smiled brightly, looking at the old man lovingly, "You programmed me to be able to maintain equipment, and downloaded my blueprints into my hardware. I am maintenance ready."

The old man sighed and shook his shaggy head, pulling at his long white beard anxiously, "I know, my dear, I'm merely… nervous, I suppose. You are very dear to me, and I wouldn't want harm coming to you because of something as simple as maintenance." He paused once again and looked around the clean, shiny laboratory, filled to the brim with his specialised mechanical braces and tools, for repairing the small android, "You won't be able to repair lost limbs or damage to your superficial characteristics, like your skin. And if you do lose an arm, it will take a week for me to manufacture another one and ship it to Vale for you."

"I could take a supply of superconductive fluids, aluminium, and steel, and use it to make limbs I can manipulate with my Aura via the conductive cables in my back." Penny said quietly, eyes blank while she ran through her onboard files and tried to come up with working solutions. "Transport would be difficult for me, but it would solve some combat efficiency losses in the event of a lost limb."

"Yes, but it wouldn't help with your camouflage. You'd be carrying several hundred pounds of wire, steel, and electrical cables with you at all times. Normal girls can't, and don't, do that, Penny." He smiled, watching the girl pout slightly, "However, I could have the General's ship supplied with it…. He has been wanting to have a squad assigned to support you in combat, after all."

"That would solve many of our problems, Father." She said, reaching up to touch the cable plugged into her neck gingerly, "May I remove this now? I... dislike the sensation of being hooked into the chair like this."

Penny always hated her update chair. The multiple chords required that she remove her shirt so they could be hooked into the seven ports along her spine, meaning all she could cover herself with - in spite of her programmed modesty - was a thin sheet he had in the lab, and it barely covered her breasts. "I know, dear, and you may. All of your updates are finished, just be sure to check your energy levels often." He sighed lightly, laying a hand on the chair, " I'll try and modify the chair design, or have a shirt made for you so you may charge yourself without compromising your… modesty."

"I appreciate that, Father. It would be wonderful to be able to stay covered while I charge myself!" She smiled brightly at him, and he felt the pang of pain in his heart that always came when she tilted her head and smiled like that.

"I know, my dear. Think of it as… a birthday present, for when you return. It would be around the proper time, after all." He smiled, patting her head gently and turning towards the door, "Get dressed, it's time to leave. We shouldn't keep the good General's people waiting, now should we? Unless you wish to, of course?"

"No, Father, that would be rude!" She squeaked at him, pouting slightly, "And besides, I wish to see what Vale is like and make some friends!"

"I want you to as well, Penny." He smiled, eyes twinkling at her brightly under his bushy brows, "Now then, shall we?"

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Jaune sat in the library, eyes squeezed shut while he thought of his team, the girl whose pain haunted him, the Grimm's almost-voice, and the instinct he'd sensed directing them; all of it culminating in… he didn't know, but something. That much was for sure. Something involving the girl, Beacon, and the Grimm in ways that terrified him. It almost made him question his sanity, sitting alone in the library and thinking about the voices he heard.

It was enough to drive him mad, if he wasn't already, that was for damn sure.

He was sitting in a back corner where older versions of textbooks and manuals were kept. Dust and cobwebs assured him of his privacy, and he didn't sense anyone headed his way either. Reaching out with his hand, he ran a finger along the sheathed blade of Crocea Mors; reaching out in the same way with his mind to search for the girl.

Her pain was easy enough to sense, and he was becoming practiced at forming the connection that let them speak.

' _J-Jaune? Is that-'_

"Yes," he said quietly, almost mumbling under his breath, and opened his eyes to look around. "I want- No, I need to ask you a few things. Okay? Starting with where you are, so I can come and get you out of-"

' _You can't. I'll die if I leave this… machine, I guess it is.'_ He winced as her pain washed over him in a fresh wave, hand tightening on Crocea Mors on instinct. ' _I'm sorry… I know you feel it too, Jaune.'_

"You can't help it." He argued easily, smiling in spite of himself, "I don't mind it, at least while I figure out a way to try to help you."

' _The only way to to do that would be to speak to Ozpin about all of this, Jaune.'_ He felt a wave of grief and pain slam into him, and he winced at the pressure again, ' _Please, Jaune… I just want him to let me die. I can't stand this… this hell anymore.'_

"No!" He said loudly, eyes hardening and frown deepening, "I won't let you die, not if there's any _thing_ or any _one_ that can help you."

"Help who, Mister Arc?" He heard a concerned voice ask, turning and drawing Crocea Mrs on instinct. Headmaster Ozpin stood there, a book open in his hand and the other resting on his cane. Jaune could feel the man's cool eyes boring into him, appraising him critically, "Are you speaking to someone? Odd, as I know of no students whose Semblance allows invisibility." ' _Nor anyone who would draw his sword on me in my own Academy.'_

' _Ozpin…'_

"I-I was… I was just talking to myself, sir." He lied, looking at the man and swearing at himself internally for not paying attention to his surroundings, "Sorry, sir. If I was being loud, or…"

"I dislike liars." The man said lowly, looking him up and down before nodding and smiling. He setting the book down on the table Jaune had been sitting at a moment before. "I marked my favorite story. Read it, and come see me when you feel ready to. I can almost guarantee we have a lot to talk about, and even more to do." ' _And nothing will ever be the same when you do…. Fall needs you, as do I, I feel.'_

"I… Yes, sir." he watched the man walk away before looking at the book in front of him. " 'Remnant's Oldest Myths?' What is this for?"

' _It's important that you read it, Jaune. I read it too, once upon a time….'_ He felt a kind of sad nostalgia, and heard her groaning sigh, ' _I… I'm going to rest now, Jaune… I don't wake up from these kinds of sleeps for days.'_

He nodded, looking down and realizing that he'd drawn his sword from its sheath, before slamming it back and collapsing into the chair. Once again, Jaune flipped open the book to the marked section and glared down at it. " _The Story of the Seasons_?" He looked back up, in the direction the man had gone, before returning to the story and starting to read.

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"Well?" Glynda asked quietly, leaning against the door frame with a grim look and hard eyes, "Did it go as you hoped it would? Or was I right in my suspicions, and you simply misunderstood something?"

"No, Glynda… I didn't ask him anything other than what he was doing in the library. He didn't even note my approach, and drew his sword in surprise." Ozpin nodded to his side, walking towards the elevator calmly, "I suspect he is somehow communicating with the Fall Maiden, and I aim to find out how. I… left him with her old book, the one from Vacuo."

"What?" Glynda asked sharply, giving him a surprised look, "Why?"

"Every step starts a journey, long or short. I helped him find one." Ozpin shrugged, smiling lightly, "If he isn't able to find out everything himself and make his way down to the Vault, then… then he isn't talented enough to be useful for us."

"And if he does do it?" She asked quietly, raising a prim eyebrow at him.

"Then our organization gains some much needed new blood." He said with a smile, waving at the direction of the dorms, "And our replacement Maiden will be decided for us as well."

"Just like that?" She asked quietly, shaking her head and pausing as they passed some chatting students, "I suppose it would be easier to motivate him to protect her, if she were his partner and a Maiden. Should we stall their deployment outside the walls until this is resolved, then?"

"No. He needs to face every challenge we can raise, so he can overcome them, or fail when it won't kill him to do so." Ozpin dismissed, smiling thinly, "We shall see what manner of protectors we have here at our Academy."

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 **Twisted - So, finally done. Sorry for the wait, I have been so incredibly busy and overworked lately… Ah well, hopefully I can get back to it.**


	11. Manic Discussions

**~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Review Responses ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~**

 _ **Snap Dragon**_ **:**

 **Twisted ~ Think of it like this... Right now, he has two options : Jaune is a spy, or Jaune is somehow more knowledgeable than he should be. We all know how Jaune knows what he does, but Oz doesn't. So he needs to make sure he's good enough, up to snuff so to speak, to hold his own against everything up to and including Salem's personal guards. Manipulation NOW could mean a lack of Jaune being disemboweled and even a Kingdom suffering massive losses LATER.**

 _ **Every Ozpin Hater (My Version, at Least)**_ **:**

 **Mika~** _ ***Staggers in, drunk***_ **Alright, listen here you little shits...**

 **Twisted ~ Mika, please behave.**

 **Mika~ Fuck you, I'mma…** _ ***Faceplants***_

 **Twisted ~ *stares* Okay… Well then.**

 **Anyways, guys. Do you hate military officers when they send men to knowingly die, for the greater good? Doctors who let people die during an emergency so they can save many more? Rescue workers who save easy to reach people and let the harder to get ones dangle?**

 **Ozpin is doing the same. A bad investment in Jaune could mean hundreds of deaths, if not thousands, or even the collapse of a Kingdom itself, and I don't even know yet what THAT would actually mean for Remnant. He's not evil, or a sociopath, he's one of the few who know what is happening in the world and has all the weight of that on his own shoulders, the weight of every life, everywhere, resting on his decisions, be it regarding Amber and Pyrrha, or Jaune and his knowledge that Ozpin has no explanation for. He has to decide what to do without the relevant information. Without any ability to judge based on merit or fact, only guesses and hope.**

 **Were it me, I would take the safest, easiest option, and get rid of Jaune. Because I won't risk a million lives on one man, even if he may be a good one. Because that's just it. It isn't that he** _ **is**_ **a good man, hell Ozpin knows for fact he lied and cheated into Beacon, it's that Ozpin won't eliminate who may** _ **not**_ **be a good man. I'm making the most 'Ozpin' choice I see Ozpin having in this situation... Make of that information what you will, regarding him.**

 **Rant's over now. Sorry.**

 **Also, please read RPG's reviews. They explain things rather well, I feel.**

"I don't care what alliances you have forged, Taurus, if you can't tell me their goals." Sienna Khan growled lowly, leaning back and letting out a long breath as he stared at the ceiling of his private room. "If you don't know your allies' motives, you can't trust them fully."

'Rabid Pulse', a club known to cater to Faunus, was situated at the edge of a major industrial district and low income housing- both places where Faunus tended to work and live, due to their status. While it wasn't _exclusively_ open to faunus, the knowledge that the leader of the White Fang visited it almost daily kept any non-Faunus citizens far away from the bar. In the recent months, the Fang had graciously taken the burden of policing the streets neighboring it for the forces of Vacuo's own military and police- unprecedented peace and safety were the result.

For Faunus, at least.

The club itself was an old factory for automobiles, large, open spaces ideal for numerous dance floors and bars after they were stripped of their industrial equipment. High above the dark building's pulsing lights, and thrumming walls and halls, the symbol of the Fang flew proud and high.

Adam sat across from his 'leader', glaring at him from behind the safety of his mask in the dimly lit room that had once been an executive's office. Now it served as a private sitting room, used mainly for drinks and girls to entertain in. "But you can't argue that they haven't brought us success! Our ranks swell with eager Faunus, and even Humans that support our plight! And our raids have-"

"I am not interested in today's successes!" The tiger Faunus roared, leaning forward so golden eyes could bore into the smaller swordsman's own searchingly, and slamming a fist onto the couch. Sienna Khan was a titan of muscle hidden behind a simple suit. His russet hair making a mane around his head and draping down his back, and the broad axe he carried into battle hanging from his side menacingly. "These successes of _yours_ always result in blood, and that echoes, Adam! It echoes around the world, and I end up seeing my men die for it. Or are you unaware of the recent killings here in Vacuo?"

"I am fully aware of it, and if you give me permission, I'll have Banesaw and two others of my best hunt them down." He nodded, feigning respect and forcing his voice to stay level, "Or perhaps you could allow me to do it personally."

"No." Sienna said quietly, shaking his head tiredly, "Honestly, Adam, do you think your butchery enough to answer every problem? How do you plan to deal with the Humans in Vale if your little plans work out? And don't deny that to be the endgame, I have men loyal to me even in Vale and its White Fang branch."

Adam grunted, turning to stare at the wall with a small frown, "Then we'll show them justice, and bring peace."

"You mean you'll kill everyone who disagrees, and force the others to be silent and accept _their_ oppression." Sienna Khan observed quietly, shaking his head angrily and growling lowly, "Truly, I believe Ghira may have been right about you."

"That traitor is a coward and a fool who abandoned our cause!"

"He founded our cause, and united the disparate factions of Faunus!" Sienna roared back, standing to his full eight-foot height and glaring down at the comparatively diminutive man, "And he left only because he didn't wish to stain his hands with blood, while I was willing to make that sacrifice! You _will_ respect that, or I will break you."

Adam sat in silence for several long seconds, refusing to give but also unwilling to challenge the man even with Wilt and Blush on his hip. The man huffed, "You will end your relations with this woman of yours, or I shall kill her with my own hands, nothing else is to be allowed."

"Understood." He grunted, standing and turning to walk from the room with a hand on his blade unconsciously. Sienna Khan watched him leave without comment, eyes carefully analysing his every inch as the door swung shut with a quiet click, mind racing in tandem with Adam's own.

"Only a fool doesn't know when he's a puppet whose strings are being pulled against a knife, Adam." He said with a sad smile, pulling his Scroll from his pocket and dialing a number. "Hey, Al, I have a request…"

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Jaune sat for several long hours, well into the night, pouring over the book's every detail, reaching out for the answers that had to be there. He read and reread every story in it, the numerous versions recounted in it spinning different tales. Small differences, but if Ozpin gave him the book for a reason….

Jaune blinked, straightening suspiciously and looking around. How had Ozpin even known to suspect him? He'd only ever spoken about what he'd seen and felt directly to his teammates in JNPR, so there was no way he could know without _them_ telling him.

His eyes opened wide in realization when he felt his Scroll vibrate. He pulled it out and hung up on the caller, ending the vibrations, heaving in sudden terror. The Scrolls… Beacon issued each to their students, and he knew their features. Tracking, special vital monitoring equipment the school could use to rescue imperiled students or to help with diagnosis post-combat or mission. It wasn't even just suggested, is was _required_ to take one with you.

How hard would it be to hide equipment in something like a Scroll to listen in?

He flipped it open in spite of that, dialing for Pyrrha without a thought. He knew he could trust her, sensed it and had heard it reinforced a million and one times. She would help him. Goodwitch herself had even said- thought, rather- that she'd fight the very Headmaster himself when she'd taken Jaune to speak to the man; and that had been about something so pathetically small in comparison he almost cried.

"J-Jaune?" Pyrrha mumbled sleepily, Nora's snoring barely audible in the background, "What's wrong? You never came back, so I waited up… I must've dozed off though, because it's-"

"That doesn't matter, Pyrrha." He snapped, looking down at the book in fright and fisting a bunch of his hair, "I need you to come to the library, we need to talk... I need your help."

"With training?" She asked, bleariness gone from her voice, "You're doing fine, Jaune…. Why do you sound so scared? What's happened?"

"I just…" He paused, looking at the Scroll with wide, bright eyes for a moment, his hand shaking, "I just got some bad news is all, and I… I need someone I can trust to talk to. Alone."

"Oh Dust, Jaune…." He heard the quiet sounds of steps and a muted door clicking closed before she spoke again, "I'm on my way, I'll stay on the line so-"

"No!" He half-yelled, smacking a hand across his mouth and looking around in trepidation for a moment before sighing, "Leave your Scroll. Trust me, Pyr, and leave it somewhere."

The line was quiet for a long, tense, few seconds, in which Jaune wished so badly that his power could tell him what she was thinking right then, before she responded. "Okay, Jaune. If that's what you need, I shan't refuse you. Where are you exactly, anyway? The library should be locked to students at this hour."

"I never left it, and… I'll explain that too, I promise. Just hurry, and avoid anyone in the halls. I'll let you in when you get here." He said quietly, closing the book and standing straight. He closed the Scroll before she could answer, and went to the door impatiently, looking for the red blip that would mark the hall's camera and grimacing when he saw one pointed at the door through the crack he made when he opened it slightly.

It only took a few minutes before he heard Pyrrha's emotions in the hall, turbulent and afraid as he'd expected they'd probably be, and _hoped_ they wouldn't be. He opened the door before she could knock, grabbing the hoplite and pulling her into the room, the girl staggering into it in surprise and turning to him with wide, vivid, green eyes to stare into equally vivid blue.

"Jaune, what is _happening_ to you?" ' _You aren't yourself….'_ She stepped back from him nervously, unconsciously raising her shield-arm across her chest on instinct. A move he knew came from her yearning for her arms and armor, "What has happened to make you like this?"

"Your Scroll, where is it?" He demanded shortly, tossing his own against the wall and dashing it to pieces.

"I-I left it in a planter near our room so I could easily retrieve it." She answered, looking him up and down and taking a breath, her emotions balancing by force, "Now, please Jaune.…" ' _Explain yourself. Justify all of this to me.'_

"Ozpin came to see me and I… he didn't _say anything_ , I but I heard him anyways," He walked past her, grabbing her hand and dragging her along, ignoring her emotions.

"Jaune?" She asked, or thought, he couldn't tell without looking. He felt the swirl of emotions. Fear, anxiety, a pang of slight joy, all spinning around in her head and mingling with his own feelings.

It was suffocating.

He let her go when they reached his table, pointing at the book with a single finger, "He knows what I told you, and suspects what I haven't. He… he gave me that book, said I should read it, that it would help me understand. Or maybe he didn't, but that's what he meant, what he wanted."

"Jaune, what do you mean?" She asked quietly, shaking her head and biting her lip nervously, "I… I want to help, I swear this to you, but you need to… to-" ' _\- to make some Dust damned sense.'_

He closed his eyes, thinking quickly and, probably, rashly. Then he sighed and looked at her, "Then let me explain, so I can make some 'Dust damned sense', as you said."

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Ozpin blinked when the boy smashed his own Scroll, eyes wide in slight surprise before he set down the mug he held and leaned forward, flipping to another hidden camera in the library and smiling almost reverently, "You figured out the Scrolls… That's the first test resoundingly solved, I'd say."

He flicked his fingers across a terminal, the button lighting up as he dialed Glynda. She answered on the second ring, as always, "Yes, Headmaster? What is it?"

"Mister Arc appears to have found out about our audio monitoring via Scrolls." He said simply, smiling pleasantly when the woman's eyes widened on the other end, "He smashed his own, and had Miss Nikos leave hers behind as well, so they could talk about the book I left with him."

"I…. What should we do, then?" She asked quietly, standing up from her bed.

"Come here, and… give the library a very wide berth. Even if it slows you down, stay far away." He smiled wider, tapping his finger on the desk rhythmically and ending the call before she could answer him. "When you eliminate the possible…."

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"I-I didn't-"

"No." He interrupted lightly, collapsing into a chair with a light sigh, "You didn't _say_ it, you _thought_ it." He winced at her shock before pointing behind her."

"I… I did, but how do you know that?" " _You can't have known that… Did I say it aloud?"_ She eased into a chair across from him, tenting her fingers together on the table and looking at him anxiously.

"You didn't say it out loud, Pyr. I heard it anyways." He smiled slightly, a grimace more than anything, at the crimson haired champion, "I heard your thoughts, Pyrrha. Right out of your head."

"Impossible." She said almost instantly, eyes wide and lip trembling, "I… that shouldn't be possible." ' _And even if it is possible, it simply shouldn't_ be _in the slightest.'_

"A Semblance can be anything at all, Pyrrha. Like Oobleck said in class the other day. Speed, Durability, Clones, Electrical Control… Telepathy." He shrugged, smiling at her honestly and breathing shakily, "I have been reading thoughts since you awakened my Aura in Initiation. More than that, I can… feel things. Like your emotions, right now." Terror, anxiety, horror, shock, "I can feel it all, just like I would."

"That's… that's wrong, Jaune. To invade someone's thoughts that way is…." she paused, searching for words, and staring at her hands with lidded, sad eyes, "I can't…."

"I wouldn't do it if I could choose not to." He said quietly, reaching over and touching her hands with his as he knew she wanted- as he knew would help. "But it's as much a part of me as my hands are, and I can't change that. Only accept it, and use it right."

"And how can you expect to do that? For how many moons can your resolve last, before you begin using your ability to make money? Friends? …Lovers, even?" She demanded, looking at him with suddenly hard green eyes, "How long can you stay _you_ when you know all, Jaune?" ' _There is a reason that only the gods may know our hearts."_

"You're right." he said, nodding quietly before looking into her eyes, "Which is why I need your help, Pyrrha. Or one way I need it, at least."

"What do you mean?" She asked quietly, mouth slightly parted in surprise and eyes searching his.

"What I mean is that I need you to help me keep myself. I can't control my power, so I need you to help control me." He smiled, pulling away and leaning back, sensing the girl's disappointment, "You're the best person I know, Pyr. And my partner besides."

She closed her eyes for several seconds, before sighing and looking at him levelly, "One's partner is an important thing in Mistral, Jaune. So long as you don't misuse your Semblance, I will stand beside you gladly. My shield and sword are yours so long as you deserve them, may they never waver." He sensed the reverence of the words, and smiled at her emotions as they stabilised.

"Now… I have a story to tell you. One I suspect is true, and one I need your shield and sword for more than anything." He slid the book across to her, smiling nervously, "And this will be more unbelievable."

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Ozpin laughed. Happily, brightly, and celebratorily. Jaune was far more than he'd ever thought… A gamble made, and a reward won. Now he only needed to test his mettle in combat, to decide what to do next fully. When the elevator opened, and Glynda stepped in with wide eyes, she sighed.

"Did you drink Bart's coffee again, Headmaster?"

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Salem paced her meeting room angrily in a way that left Tyrian, even in his own sycophantic way, anxious. She'd sensed his mind touch her Grimm, in a way that she knew had told him too much… But did he know how to use that information?

Her spies, her little birds, had heard nothing so far. It was clear that he either didn't know how to use it, or didn't know it at all. Both were useful, though she felt it best he be eliminated before he ever had the chance to worsen the thorn he'd become.

"Tyrian." She said quietly, turning to the eagerly waiting, yet still nervous, man suddenly and waiting for him to slink towards her before speaking, "I have a job for you. Something very special to me. Something I would consider a personal favor to me, if you were to do it."

"Anything for you, my queen, you know you have but to ask me." He said, suppressing a mad cackle only barely, "Of course, my Queen, anything." He gave a maniacal grin and a mad cackle as he bowed lowly. "I would fight for you, die for you, kill for you…Fight, die, kill, oh yes, kill! Who would you like me to kill? Should I make a brilliant, public display, or a slow piece of the purest, most… Visceral form of art… All in dedication to you?"

"I know, my precious child." She suppressed a grimace at his joyous chuckle and reached out to touch his face, to keep his mind on her words and in the moment, "Go to Vale for me. Find someone. A boy. I have asked Cinder to look for him as well, but she has much on her plate."

"Nothing should be as important as your request!" He snarled, turning around and shoving aside a chair angrily. "She should drop everything, _everything,_ for your words alone!"

"Perhaps, but she has her own duty. I have given her many tasks… And I need you to gather information." She let her hand droop, smiling at his sad whimper, "Find out who at Beacon can sense my guiding hand among the Grimm. All I know is that he is blonde haired, and wields a blade and shield. If he is a threat to me, perhaps I will allow you to deal with him as you see fit. If he is a potential ally..."

The man raced off cackling in excitement, and Salem resumed her pacing. This time, with a wan, confident smile.

 **XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

Cinder growled to herself, resting on a couch in a random club under Roman's thumb, the name not important enough for her to care to remember. "So, you see, I can't get much more Dust without the Kingdom calling in more specialists to try and put the old squeeze on me." Roman continued, pretending to ignore the threatening glare he was receiving, "Neo can continue, of course, and in a matter of weeks I can too, once the heat towards yours truly dies down a bit."

"We need that Dust, Roman." She said simply, smiling at him coldly and titling her head in what would have been flirtatious, had her hand not burst into flame beside her head, "And funny you should mention the _heat_ , given your predicament if you fail me."

"We have enough for a moderately large army! Or a _very_ large series of explosions." He argued, waving his hands defensively, "There's not much left in smaller towns, it's mostly military and Huntsmen anyways. You'll start losing out on Dust by attacking them."

"That's fine, Roman." She said quietly, watching his face grow confused for a moment, "I don't seek to gain from those fights, only for them to _lose_ out on their own supplies."

"But why would you-"

"You're thinking, Roman. Not obeying." She said with a click of her tongue, shaking her head, "You know thinking isn't your place until I say it is. So don't. Use the White Fang, cause some chaos, and weaken the Kingdom's weak willed defenders."

"Fine, fine." He said quietly, false bravado echoing hollowly, "I'll raise some hell then, just don't roast me when you're shorter on Dust than you'd like, okay?"

"Be careful, and you won't have anything to worry about." She said, alluding to both herself and all other involved parties as well, "Now leave, I wish for rest. This room is rather nice."

He stood and walked stiffly to the door, grumbling to himself lowly, "Should be, it's supposed to be mine…"

"What was that, dear Roman? I couldn't quite hear you." She smiled at his back, crossing her arms under her breasts alluringly and smiling at him, "Did you say something?"

"Nope!" He said brightly, slamming the door shut as she chuckled darkly.

 **XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**


	12. Battles, In and Out, Reupload

**Spudy Potato :**

 **Twisted ~ Thanks, reader. Appreciate the support.**

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 **Twisted ~ Love ya too, bro.**

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 **Twisted ~ …..See, I** _ **was**_ **tempted by Lancaster, until you mentioned Penny.**

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 **Twisted ~ Thanks! Please do consider a profile though, so you know I'm referring to you. Or just add in a name you like in parentheses.**

 **RPG Persona :**

 **Twisted ~ Yes, RPG. They have been. A lot.**

 **Yep. Very Jungle Book here, thanks in large part to Minesniper. He gave me some ideas. And also yes, it's a 'Fang club.**

 **Noooooo. Not Aladdin at all. That wasn't the reference due to me referencing the Jungle Book. Lemme just… *hides movie stack under a sheet***

 **Yes, Jaune's very much kind of like Xavier to me. He hears and feels everything, and it sucks. And he hates it, for the invasions of privacy and the pain it causes him.**

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Three days.

Three days, waiting for Pyrrha to break and tell someone.

Three days, waiting for Ozpin - or someone else on his payroll - to sweep in and drag him off, either to reward him or punish him for probably knowing too much.

The fact that _Ozpin_ had set him on the 'right' track himself was the only reason he didn't want to try running. Why bother, when the man seemed content to leave him be? Running _with_ knowledge could just as easily be what would get him hunted down as running with the suspicion of it. At least right now he looked like he either didn't figure it out, or was willing to side with them.

' _Ozpin isn't a villain, Jaune.'_ Amber said quietly, feeling his anxiety through the connection they were using to talk while he once more sat in his dorm, watching Nora chase Ruby around outside while the others laughed, ' _He won't kill you or anything like that if he doesn't think you're trying to do worse.'_

"Based on your story, now you've told it to me, Amber?" He sighed, shaking his head tiredly and closing his eyes. The downside to talking to Amber was feeling her injuries and pain, but at least _that_ drowned out everything else around him, and he could help her not feel it. "I find it hard to believe you."

" _What happened wasn't his fault, Jaune."_

"I think it is, at least a little." Jaune argued shortly, grimacing at the emotions he felt echo back, "If he'd had your under guard, or even just an escort of a team he trusted, you might be just fine. He didn't though, even though he knew you were a target."

"Are you… talking with Amber again?" He turned, mildly surprised, to see s shaky Pyrrha looking at him in concern, eyes soft and worried and lips in a thin line. "I-I can leave if you want privacy for your-"

" _No, tell her she doesn't need to leave. I don't mind her presence, she… seems a kind enough person."_ He sensed she wasn't fully telling him the truth, but ignored it and smiled at the Amazon.

"No, Pyr. You're… you're fine, we're just arguing a little bit is all. She doesn't want you to leave either, so stay." He said dismissively, chuckling lightly, "She's as forgiving and kind as you, I guess. Doesn't blame a soul for what happened, except I guess whoever attacked her."

"That's good of her." Pyrrha said awkwardly, sitting on her bed and staring at the floor uncomfortably for several long seconds, "Nora and Ruby… Asked after you, you know. I told them you had a headache, and that you wanted to rest. I am fairly sure they think you're avoiding them, though."

"I know." He said simply, and she sighed, knowing what he meant. "Thank you, though, Pyrrha. I appreciate your help. I'm so glad I decided to tell you everything."

"As am I, Jaune. It is good for you to trust your partner, and I hope you understand that I would gladly do the same if you and I were in opposite positions." She smiled at him warmly, and he sensed the affection behind it emanating from her before the anxiety crept back and her smile faltered, "But… the question of what to do next is one I suppose falls on your shoulders. But know that my shield and sword remain yours, whatever you choose."

" _I'd… offer to help you, but it would mean little."_ Amber added dryly, sighing across the connection, " _I'd do anything you asked, really, given what you do for me."_

"I appreciate you both." He said quietly, smiling at them both though he knew Amber couldn't see it, before he realized Pyrrha didn't quite understand by her raised brow, "Amber said she'd help too, if she could. But she, uh, kinda can't. Because, you know..."

"Death bed." Pyrrha said quietly, grimacing, before smiling at him, "Well, I thank her anyways."

"As for what to do…." He shrugged, letting out a breath and turning back to the window, watching Yang put Ruby into a chokehold while Nora tickled her sides, "We could always go to Ozpin, tell him everything as well. I mean… that would at least make sure he doesn't hate me or anything, right?"

" _How noble."_ Amber remarked dryly, receding from him, " _I'm tired, Jaune. I'm going to rest now."_

"Alright, Amber. Rest up, I... hope you feel better?" He winced when he felt her amusement, and grimaced when he heard and felt everyone's minds crash in on him at once again, "Ugh, I hate my Semblance…."

"As reasonable a response as any, I suppose." Pyrrha said quietly, eeping in surprise when her Scroll went off. "Oh my, I forgot that I had to call my mother today. I… normally always call her on Thursdays, and I guess with everything… I forgot. Would you excuse me for a moment?"

He nodded, and she started dialing away happily, walking into the bathroom to talk, and knowing that Jaune could hear her. He trusted her either way, of course, but… it didn't hurt to have his paranoia assuaged there, at least.

 **XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

"Come on, Yang! Stop it, that hurts!" Ruby whined, wriggling around to try and escape her blonde sibling's noogie trap, "I was just saying I was worried about him!"

"I agree with Yang!" Nora crowed brightly, leaning down close to Ruby's face with a mischievous grin, "You're always so worried about him, we've all noticed~. Every day, you ask where he is, what he's doing, is he dying."

"B-Because he's always staying in his room all by himself!" She squeaked, slipping out of her sister's grasp and running up the tree Ren was sitting under, lying on a branch and pouting down at them. "He was my first friend here, of course I'm worried about him…. Aren't you?"

"Of course." Nora quipped lightly, collapsing to the ground with her head next to Ren's lap, "But Pyrrha's got this, so he'll be fiiiiine."

"Pyrrha and I both know that he's been unwell since Initiation, and she's volunteered to take care of him." Ren explained simply, Nora prodding his hands needily until he started to play with her hair gently. "All we can do is wait and see what happens, and be there for him either way. Just have patience."

"She doesn't do very well with the whole 'patience' thing, Ren. Too many cookies, not enough milk, our dad says." Yang said teasingly, dodging a thrown pencil deftly and smirking up at her sister, "What's wrong, a little _short_ tempered, are we?"

"I am not short, I am normal height!" She squeaked loudly, pout intensifying, "And I drink plenty of milk! And dad doesn't say that!"

"Not to you, maybe." She shrugged, plopping on the ground next to the tree on Ren's other side, "But to me? He says a _lot_. Just doesn't want to hurt your feelings, I guess. Kids are so emotional sometimes~."

"I'm not a kid!" She complained loudly again, leaping from the tree and attacking her sister, the blonde laughing and rolling across the grass with her. "Say it! Say I'm not!"

"You two are insufferable…." Weiss muttered, turning a page in her book and continuing to read quietly. Ren turned to say something, but instead smiled when he saw the thin smile on the heiress' face. "What?" She asked him after several seconds, and he simply smiled and relaxed against his tree, toying with a sleeping Nora's hair idly.

"Nothing at all."

 **XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

With a quiet grunt, Qrow dropped more wood onto the sizable stockpile he and his borrowed team had been using just outside the cave they'd found for the same purpose. A large entry area, with a small opening to get in, served as a sort of gathering area. A three foot tall Dust generator that ran on small, cylindrical cells was set up near the door, a man-sized crate holding more cells sat nearby. Three chambers of the cave that shot off from the main one served as bedrooms, one for the women, one for Qrow, and one for the men under him.

He had suggested they use it as a store room, but the idea had been shot down. No one wanted to share a room with Qrow, as it turned out. A large enough rock in the middle served as a table with several folding chairs bearing the Atlesian Navy's symbol stamped on their backs surrounded it, and a small stove was set up near the back.

"Anyone here?" He asked quietly, straightening and dusting his hands before yanking his flask out.

"Just me, everyone else is out hunting, like you said to." Luna said loudly from the girls' 'room', "I'm here like you said, so the base is never empty. Nothing too damn strange, really, 'cept a larger than normal pack of Beowolves that they already wiped out."

"Good. Keep up the good work then, and let me know if anything else interesting happens." He said, walking towards his sleeping spot tiredly, leaning his sword-scythe against the corner inside, "I'm grabbin' some rest, we should have plenty of wood to last us a while."

She poked her head around the corner, tossing a small chip at him, "Message for you, from Atlas. And a request for a status update too, to see if you need anything I guess."

"I need sleep, Haile." He grumbled, inserting the chip into his Scroll with a sigh, "I'll deal with it." He read for several minutes while she stood there - a simple status update about a potential attack back in Atlas by the 'Fang, a notice that the drones sent into the northwestern continent had been destroyed again, and a staunch denial from Menagerie that the White Fang were based there - before sighing and looking at her, "Just updates on some political garbage, Haile, relax. We'll be here a while."

"Why are we here, Qrow?" She asked quietly, tilting her head at him in curiosity, "There's no reason to be here, really. The Grimm that frequent the area aren't dangerous enough to warrant a full team plus you to be… garrisoned like this, not so close to Beacon especially."

"Can't tell ya, kiddo." He shrugged, typing out a report to send to James while she stood in his door, "Orders from the top no matter where I look, and they say we stay here and kill the fluffy friends of the forest. Not that it matters, since I'd be off doin' it no matter what either way. Here we get a bonus, at least."

"If we survive to get it, you mean." She said lowly, looking at him levelly and crossing her arms.

"We will." Qrow said, shrugging lightly, "General James Ironwood has personally pledged me his flag ship itself, all I gotta do is send up a special flare he gave me." Qrow fished out a solid black emergency flare from his waist pack to show her, "I fire this, every Atlesian in the skies comes bearing down on whoever or whatever we tell 'em to."

"Then why isn't _Atlas_ down here, slogging it in a cave?" She asked shortly, gesturing at his own surroundings, "I don't mind slogging it, mind you, but if they want to act like they're supporting us so damn much, why don't they do this? Or just as good, give us some of their lauded Specialists?"

"The Specialist corps and most of their infantry are helping with security in Vale, and fighting Grimm on the _other_ side of the city." He groused, turning to look at her with a raise brow, "Or should Vale depend entirely on the Atlesian military for everything?"

"I guess not..." She sighed, turning around to walk away, "Just have a bad feeling, that's all."

 **XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

Cinder's glare looked ready to melt steel, and many would worry about that very thing happening to their flesh normally, but today she was alone in her room with Emerald outside on guard duty, "But, my lady, I must reassert that sending Tyrian to… help me, will only hurt my chances of total success."

"And I feel oddly like I need to 'reassert' to you that he is on his way, and will find the boy for me." Salem replied quietly, voice crackling slightly across the Scroll connection, "You did as I need for this goal. You found me a name, and gave me much that I needed to understand his motivations and wishes. As a result, I determined that Tyrian was better for capturing him than you."

"May I ask why?" She asked quietly, eyes closed in irritation.

"You have more than enough coming up on your plate, Cinder, and Tyrian had next to nothing. You have an entire operation, with several phases that all require your personal touch, so I felt that you should be able to focus on that. Tyrian can also act in ways you cannot without drawing attention, and he can take the boy from most who might be there and escape without compromising your plans." Salem explained politely, smiling on her end at the other woman's irritation. "I _need_ you to eliminate Ozpin and that Maiden, so you will be left alone to do so. I _want_ that boy, so Tyrian will do what he can to secure him for me."

"Then… Then I will make sure to help him in any way he asks." Cinder said meekly, grimacing and looking at her door expectantly, "So all the plans are to stand as made, then?"

"Yes. When Tyrian arrives, you will lend him your green haired woman, Emma I believe. He will have some need of her, I feel. Tell him I order her to accept any aid she can offer, regardless of how simple it may seem." Salem said simply, ending the call as abruptly as she always did.

Growling, Cinder engulfed the device in flame and let the slag run onto the floor of the room she was in, watching it pool and cool with malice gleaming in her eyes before standing up and walking to the door. On the other side, Emerald looked to her in surprise, opening her mouth to ask how it'd gone.

She went quiet directly after, seeing her leader's scowl, instead falling in line behind her and following her quietly. After several long minutes, Cinder sighed and turned to address her over her shoulder, "My mistress is sending a man named Tyrian to collect the boy, Jaune. When he arrives, you are to cooperate with him completely, even above my needs. Even should it compromise me, you must serve him."

"B-But…" Emerald grit her teeth, before looking up and grabbing the other woman's shoulder gently, "No. I will work for him, but I won't compromise you to do it."

"Emerald-" Cinder started warningly, eyes hardening.

"No." She said quietly, shaking her head slightly, glaring at a 'Fang grunt when he came around the corner until he turned back around and left, "You said to take what I want, right?"

"Yes, but not in this situation, Emerald." She said simply, sighing and shaking her head, "I meant that you should-"

"All due respect, ma'am, but I don't care." Cinder raised a thin brow at her expectantly, smiling ever so slightly. "I am _yours_ , not his. Not even _hers._ I am only yours, Cinder. If I have to choose between helping him, or saving you, I will choose you."

"Tyrian may kill you for it." She said simply, shrugging lightly as though it didn't matter, "Maybe even I will, if Salem orders me to. You understand that, right?"

"Yes, and I don't care." Emerald said calmly, nodding acceptingly and letting go of the woman, "If he comes for me, I'll fight him."

"And if I do?" Cinder asked carefully, smiling almost warmly at the younger woman, "Will you fight me as well, Emerald?"

"No. I won't." She said quietly, swallowing anxiously and staring into the other woman's eyes for a few seconds before averting her gaze, "I couldn't beat you even if I wanted to… And _she_ might kill you for failing. I won't risk that, it'd defeat the purpose, you know?"

Cinder laughed honestly at that, so bright and cheerful Emerald couldn't hold back the grin it brought, before she smiled at the young woman more warmly than ever before, "Then do as your wish, young Emerald. Just know the consequences, that is all I demand of you."

"Yes, ma'am." She said quietly, watching the woman's back when she returned to walking down the hall.

"And Emerald?" She said lowly, voice barely above a whisper, "I am quite proud of you right now, I hope you know that."

"Yes, ma'am. Thank you." She said quietly, smiling brightly and lifting her head that little bit higher at the rare praise from her mistress. "Where to next, ma'am? Until your… ally arrives, what do we do?"

"We coordinate with Roman, and make sure _our_ plans succeed, regardless of Tyrian's." Cinder said simply, chuckling darkly to herself, "I think I may just loan Mercury to him while you are away, to help him… raise some hell, so to speak."

 **XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

Sergeant Alan Terrier ran up the gunmetal gray wall, slamming into an open slot between two privates and firing his standard issue, MCK-143 Dust Pulse Rifle at the Beowolves crawling, snapping and clawing at the wall of his base. He blasted apart one's head and watched another collapse, wheezing from a dozen holes in its side, and begin to dissolve. He turned, snarling behind his helmet, as he fired on another of the beasts just like the rest of the soldiers and droids around him. Behind him he heard a whirring. Sparing a glance when he knelt to reload, he stared wide-eyed at a dozen of the massive, mechanized units that were garrisoned in the base, waiting for any Grimm to break through the defense.

"Shit!" The man beside him barked. He turned to see a massive claw slam into the soldier's shoulder, making him buckle under the weight before the claws dug into the metal and, with a muted squelch and screeching, the flesh underneath.

Alan raised the rifle with his off hand, firing at the arm wildly, and wrapped an arm around the wounded man, pulling against the beast. The other man beside them grabbed him around the waist with both arms, the two barely managing to hold him until the arm snapped off, the stray rounds pinging off the steel behind the injured man as he fell.

"Medic!" The other private barked, turning to fire into the wounded creature's maw, the shots only speckling the bone-white armor as the Alpha snarled, tackling Alan off the wall and to the ground a dozen feet below. Behind the beast, on the wall, he saw the private turn around and begin firing over the wall again in the briefest moment before the monster reared up, good claw raised to strike him. He crossed his arms in front of his face to ward it off, or try to, when a metal claw grabbed the creature, crushing its rib cage and hurling it over the wall.

"Sergeant, do you need a medic?" The Paladin pilot asked, her voice tinny through the machine's communication device, "That was a pretty bad fall."

He spared his medical HUD a moment, sighing when it confirmed what the tight breathing and sharp pain in his chest said. Two broken ribs. Then he sighed, picking up his fallen, now scratched and scuffed, rifle from the dirt, "I'm fine." He said loudly when a medic and two Knights jogged up,"There's a private up on the wall who's hurt pretty bad though."

"Sir, my connection to your HUD says-"

"That you should get that private down?" He barked, turning and shouldering his rifle as the man and his guard-droids jogged behind him, "I'm fine, kid. Take the private, leave a droid in his place." The medic didn't respond, instead deftly dodging a claw from a Creep that Alan gunned down after a second's pause to aim. Then hoisting the wounded man onto his back, the medic turned to run to a safer location to treat his wounds. The sergeant watched him run off, grunting when he felt something smack his chest. Looking down at the claw marks across the chest, and the Creep responsible for the broken steel and rent flesh, he raised his rifle and put a burst into the creature before sinking to a knee and coughing violently. "Damn monsters.…"

Forcing himself up, he looked over the wall at the horde bearing down on them. The Grimm's bodies were pressed together so tight he couldn't see the ground, smoke billowed out from under them as their brethren fell all around and dissolved. Looking about, he saw men, women, and droids dragged from the wall screaming, kicking and shooting, or tackled from their posts.

Grabbing the private to his side's arm, he wrenched him around, "Get off the wall, boy! Sound a fall back order and get to second position!"

"But, sir! There's to be no-"

"Shut the hell up and go, boy! The wall is lost, so get the men to where the Paladins can help and have them call for support! Tell them Sergeant Allan Terrier ordered the fallback!" He shoved the young man to the side, putting another burst into a young, unarmored Beowolf that leapt at his flank. The private hesitated only a second before turning and running, and he turned to bark at the droid who had remained, "Run the wall, tell them that the fallback order has been issued!"

"Yes, Sergeant." The machine said snappishly, lowering its rifle and turning to run along the wall. He watched as dozens of soldiers leapt from the wall or ran down the stairs, falling further into the forward post beside the Paladins and behind barricades while Knights stayed behind to cover the rout.

Spitting out blood, he tore his helmet off when he heard the Base Commander barking in his ear, the Hunter ordering him to rout with the others. Lifting his rifle to fire at an Alpha Lupinus as it clambered up its brothers' corpses, he sighed tiredly. The creature ducked, shielding its face with one arm's heavy plating while the other swiped upwards, tossing the weapon from his hand, before slamming the spiked limb against his chest. the spikes bit into the armor and anchored onto him.

They both snarled, him drawing his sidearm and firing uselessly into its chest while it used the spikes to hold him in place. Then, slamming him into the wall and forcing the spikes into his chest and out the back, it wrenched his limp form off its arm. The last thing he remembered was flailing through the air towards a medic and a squad of wounded soldiers with sidearms raised, desperately firing away- and the lightly armored man, whose feet he landed at, drawing twin sabers and stepping over him to join the fray.

Tanner Brown raised his sabers, ducking under the Lupinus' first swipe and letting a Paladin's heavy cannon blast it into pieces, before leaping forward and slaughtering a half dozen Beowolves and an Alpha in a matter of seconds and turning to his men, "Rally, soldiers of Atlas!" He turned back, slicing upwards and bisecting an Ursa as it tumbled awkwardly from the bending and buckling wall, "For Atlas! For Vale! For your honor!"

The wall burst as a Deathstalker scrambled into the open field, spearing an unlucky soldier with a leg and bisecting a Paladin before its pilot could react. It slammed its tail into the screaming pilot through the cockpit's window and hurled the wreckage into another Paladin, the machine crumpling under the weight. The massive Grimm flinched and bucked as Paladin and rifle fire tore into it, collapsing a second later, but the damage was done.

Grimm streamed into the outpost, rushing through bullets and the corpses of their fellows to maul droid, soldier, and Paladin in a wave of black while Tanner fought tooth and nail.

 **XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

"Sir, our last outpost just radioed in on an emergency frequency." Winter said quietly, standing in Ironwood's door at attention, face hard and grim, "Grimm assault exceeding previous estimates, and they're buckling. Requesting evac."

"Not support?" He asked curiously, raising his gaze from the display on his monitor, "Just an outright evacuation?"

"Yes, sir." She said tersely, "I can have a dozen ships and a fighter escort en route within-"

"No." James said with a sad sigh, returning his gaze to the monitor evenly, "They are Atlesian soldiers. No surrender, no retreat, no ground lost so long as a man stands on it. Inform them that air support and evacuation will be en route when available, and then ignore further communication."

"Sir, you're ordering me to lie to those soldiers and ignore them?" Winter asked in surprise, stance breaking and shock evident on her face when he nodded quietly, "But those soldiers are men and women of Atlas, defending-"

"One of several outposts under assault, and the least critical. Allocate those assets to the north, the Grimm will head that direction when they finish there." He said simply, turning the monitor to display the map he was looking at. Three outposts, one at the base of a ridge and marked out in black, "We can lose that base and still hold both the others and our main landing zone. That base is less critical than any of the others out there, so I am ordering you to let those men do their jobs."

"You're ordering me to let them be slaughtered, sir!" She argued, yelling at the man in abject horror, "All for a base you don't even care about?"

"I swore to defend Vale's wall to the last man, and those men swore to serve under me." He said quietly, opening a drawer and withdrawing a small, silver flask, opening it and taking a long drink, gasping at the unfamiliar burn that scorched his throat, "This is an order, Specialist Winter Schnee. Obey or go to the brig, and I'll get someone who's more obedient."

"Yes, sir." She said quietly, snapping a tight salute and turning to leave, sighing and raising her Scroll, "Radio back to base three, tell them to hold on until reinforcements and evac arrive."

"Yes, ma'am. I'll have Xander Wing-"

"Load them up for a bombing run, and route them to base two with fire support orders. Ignore further communiques from base three until notified otherwise, under direct orders from General James Ironwood." She waited for several seconds, her heels clicking along in the base as she waited for a response.

"My brother is at base three, ma'am…" She heard the woman's voice crack slightly, sighing and stopping in her tracks, "I-I can't just-"

"Relay the orders, lieutenant. Then you are dismissed for the day, I'll arrange for a replacement." She said quietly, ending the call before slamming her Aura protected fist into the wall and breathing heavily. "Dust damned Grimm!"

Down the hall, General James Ironwood sat at his desk, eyes closed as he prayed quietly, before opening his eyes and glaring at the wall where the Atlesian flag hung proudly. "Dust damned flag…."

 **XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

Ozpin smiled lightly, sliding a piece across his board while he and Glynda sat in his office, watching the sunset quietly. "So, Glynda, how is your class running?"

"Well enough, I suppose, though I do regret allowing you to let JNPR and RWBY out of courses for the last couple days." She said irritably, shaking her head and sliding a pawn forward a tile, waiting for Ozpin to make his own move before she made a full plan, "JNPR I could understand, but why RWBY?"

"I want young Mister Arc to have capable allies in the future, and so I am allowing him to spend time with them." He said simply, shrugging and leaping his knight forward, "This way, we gain many useful fighters, without exposing our secrets to anyone needlessly or risking their lives unduly."

"Is that not a gamble" She asked, sliding a pawn on her far right forward two in an effort to bait out his queen, "What if they are targeted by our enemies directly when they discover Jaune's importance? What he knows could serve them greatly, I doubt you need to be told."

"And yet, you still ask." He said with a quiet sigh, using his bishop to take the first pawn she'd moved, "And yes, it is a gamble. But in life and chess, strategies often require some… luck, and a gamble on a useful piece."

"This isn't your life, or chess, Ozpin." She said quietly, aware that he knew and that her words wouldn't sway him at this point, "And what about his mission? Atlas has been fighting nonstop in that area for a week now. It's far above his level, even if Peter and I both accompany them."

"Which is why you won't be accompanying them." Ozpin said simply, sipping his coffee and smiling at her when she looked up at him in shock, "Oh relax, Glynda, they won't be alone out there."

"You'd involve James in your gamble, then?" She asked in surprise, elated that he was willing to ask his old friend for help, "I doubt he can spare much, but-"

"I will be accompanying them, personally, Glynda." He said simply, moving his queen forward to take her knight after she moved it out without thinking and chuckling, "You may wish to pay more attention to the game, Miss Goodwitch, as you appear to be losing."

"I always lose, and you always make me play." She said dismissively, sliding a pawn forward carelessly, "Ozpin, you can't go out there. What if something happens? Do you really think _she_ ," Glynda spat the word, "will let you go unaccosted?"

"And if she attacks me, I will fight. I am capable enough, I assure you, and even should the worst occur, my Semblance will protect me." He said simply, shrugging and checking her king piece, "But you know that."

"To go so far…."

"He is my student, and a hope of mine." Ozpin said with a shrug, "I see every wager through to the bitter or sweet end. But you knew that too, didn't you? When I told you of this wager I was making on a young Arc, you must have known."

"I did." She said simply, sighing and standing up, "Fine then, I shall go and make the very final arrangements for the mission." She bowed and walked away, heels clacking in a way that Ozpin knew meant she was irate.

"Sorry, Glynda… but this king is too protective of his pawns, it would seem."

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 **Twisted ~ Whoo! Finally done. Holy shit~! Anyways, please drop a Review, maybe a Follow, and thanks for reading. I hope you enjoyed the peek into what fighting on the front lines against the Grimm is like, and such and such. Wanted a little of that gritty ass reality without Grimmderping too much.**


	13. Life On the Wall, Life Before The Hall

_**Zenith Tempest:**_

 **Twisted ~ Welcome to the complicated and needed beasts called Politics and War. Good people do shitty things for what they perceive as the greatergood. Sucks to suck. XD**

 _ **Magico Latino:**_

 **Twisted ~ Thanks!**

 _ **Jack:**_

 **Twisted ~ Glad you're liking it.**

 _ **Zaine the Demon King:**_

 **Twisted ~ S'just a glitch that's going around I hear. Sorry.**

 _ **Hikari Niwa:**_

 **Twisted ~ Thanks~!**

 _ **Dragoon:**_

 **Twisted ~ Really? Who established how decent and upstanding James is, or how he treats his men? You only see** _ **two**_ **soldiers under his direct command. Left alone, outside the Wall, in the ruddy woods. They get rushed by mooks and likely killed. That's it. Nothing else establishes his leadership style.**

 _ **Xerzo:**_

 **Twisted ~ XD**

 _ **The Impossible Muffin:**_

 **Twisted ~ Eh, the reason why they were overwhelmed is kind of mundane. Too many enemies, not enough bodies on the wall. And, I mean, remember Ruby's fight with that Nevermore in the show? Or more relevantly, Jaune's fight with the Deathstalker? How would a squad of Marines fare against a Deathstalker charging them? They'd shoot the shit out of it and call for backup, as the Atlesians did. The Atlesians just got told no is all.**

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 **Twisted ~ Brief note, this chapter will be solely Jaune/JNPR centered. Next chapter will be normal.**

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"Okay, everyone, we have two hours until the mission starts, so let's talk strategy." Jaune said, sitting in the Bullhead bay and watching the others shift nervously, Nora excepted as she looked enthused as ever. "Anyone have any ideas for taking down Grimm, let's hear them."

"What do you mean?" Nora asked brightly, Magnhild resting on her lap in launcher form almost affectionately, confidence and cockiness radiating off of her in waves that Jaune found annoying and consoling all at once. "We smash 'em, we stab 'em, I blow 'em up. What's to it?"

"Well, I've been doing some reading on it. How do we fight a Drake?" he asked simply, shrugging at her confused face, before looking at Pyrrha, "they _are_ Mistralian mainly, so would you like to explain?"

"Drakes fall into three categories, mainly." She started, smiling at being included and silently - at least to the other two - thanking Jaune for the inclusion, "The first two are much like normal Grimm, Minor and Major. Minors mainly fly around their targets, blasting lighting at them and harrying them."

"Like a skirmishing force?" Ren asked quietly, raising a thin brow curiously when she nodded.

"Yes, like a skirmishing force. And like a number of Grimm species, they tend to flock together. They are fairly well armored, though, so our firearms won't do much unless we aim for their wings." She grimaced lightly, brows bouncing in emphasis to her point, "And a flying Drake is annoying, while a _grounded_ one is downright lethal." " _A beast backed into a corner fights all the harder, as they say…"_

"Majors are much the same, though they're slower and bulkier. They usually will land to fight you if you don't have a firearm, which has been noted as an oddity by Grimm researchers in Mistral. Some think that, since it's only ever one Major to a flock, it may be a show of dominance." She paused for a second, and Jaune could hear her compiling her thoughts so she could explain the final type. "The last is known as a Fiend, and it's incredibly rare to a very high extreme. It doesn't flock like the others, and they have been known to be almost a hundred feet long. In Mistral, if one was spotted, a Huntsmen team would have to coordinate with a detachment of the Mistralian Defense Force to kill one, usually with heavy casualties." " _I've seen what comes from those, Jaune… We shouldn't engage a Drake Major, let alone a Fiend."_

"Do either of you know about rare kinds of Grimm?" Jaune asked, watching as both looked at each other in a very sober way, "Guys?"

"It's… up to Ren, whether we tell you the story or not." Nora said quietly, smiling at the other two grimly, more grimacing than anything, "It's… I was just a guest there, it's not my story to tell you." " _More like a beggar…."_

Ren was quiet for a long time, hands fisted in his lap and eyes closed, and he felt the other two girls' concern for him echoing in his mind. Jaune was unconcerned, because Ren was thinking about how to phrase it, not _whether_ to say it. Pyrrha gave him a worried look, and Jaune simply nodded at her in an effort to convey that it was alright. She… didn't quite get the memo, though.

"If you don't want to talk about it, we could-"

"It's fine." Ren interrupted her, looking irritated for a moment before sighing apologetically. A false smile, given the irritation he felt washing off both him and the orange haired Viking next to him. " _I was just working up to it… No need to rush me."_ "I… Nora and I, we're both orphans. When I was young, Nora was in my village, alone. I don't know where she came from or when she got there."

"I don't remember anything before that, either." Nora said sadly, rubbing her arm nervously and staring at the floor, "Except the woods, and… a grating sound." Jaune saw an image flash through his mind of a metal plate, buckling and giving, and then of woods as the girl ran.

Ren laid a hand on her shoulder, giving her a comforting smile, and Jaune felt the sounds and feelings recede. "Eventually, when I was younger… I don't know what happened, but a massive Grimm attacked my village after a hunt of my father's failed. Maybe he found it, or maybe it was what he was hunting… I call it a Centaur for a while, but I found out later it was called a Nuckelavee. It was taller than two men, with the body of a man attached to its back like a rider." " _And covered in spines, arrows, spears… Like it had fought a battle. A lot of battles."_

Everyone was quiet for a long while after that, Nora and Ren remembering things and assaulting his mind with them, and Pyrrha worried for the rest of them; Jaune included, now that she knew what Jaune felt when people were nearby. The fact they were remembering grief, to her, meant that he was as well, and she worried for him for it.

"I...this isn't what I was trying to talk about, guys. Sorry to drag up bad memories, I... I didn't know." Jaune said meekly, upset to have caused his friends so much distress. "Let's just… talk about strategies until our professor shows up?"

"That's a thought." Ren mentioned quietly, looking between them curiously, "Did any of your mission briefs say _who_ our professor escort would actually be?" " _Mine didn't, nor did Nora's."_

"That would be me, Mister Lie." They turned as one to the now-opening door they'd been sitting near, even Jaune surprised to see the Headmaster walking towards them. "I'm afraid that, with the current Grimm incursion, we've had to divert much of our staff to help fight in the field." He stopped in front of them all, planting his cane in front of him and leaning on it with a thin smile, "I _do_ hope none of you mind my presence."

"Of course not, sir." He said quickly, standing up along with the rest of them, weapons at his side, "I just… didn't expect you to come with us, sir." " _The Headmaster himself is coming with us? That's an... interesting development."_

"Is that going to be a problem, young man?" Ozpin asked teasingly, the younger man tensing when he didn't realize it. Jaune realized a moment later that only he was grinning, the others all looking at him oddly- including Ozpin himself with a raised brow and small, knowing smile. "Be calm, Mr Lie, I am only speaking in jest. As I said, this is only due to the strenuous circumstances." " _Strenuous indeed… I can hardly think of more strenuous ones given your abilities, Arc."_

Jaune flinched, Pyrrha watching him when his off hand fell unconsciously to Crocea Mors, "I-I see…. Well, we'll try not to do anything less than you'd expect, sir." He nodded, eyes hard and boring into Ozpin's. The Headmaster smiled back and chuckled, twirling his cane around his hand lightly and walking towards their Bullhead.

"I should hope not…" Ozpin said quietly, gesturing to the waiting machine's opening doors at the end of the otherwise empty bay and smiling warmly, "I wouldn't want any of you injured under my watch." " _And Salem has already targeted you once… It is impossible she will resist the bait of you_ and _me outside Vale's walls."_ "But don't worry. I will defend you with everything that I have, from any threat too great for you to face alone."

He stepped into the craft, waiting patiently for them with a hand on his cane while he comfortably leaned against the other door, amusement radiating off of him in waves when he saw Jaune's dour face. Pyrrha hesitated outside the door, turning to look at Jaune in question. He nodded, smiling thinly and stepping into the craft without a word, and she followed in the same way. Even Nora was silent on the ride, her and Ren seeming to sense the tense atmosphere Jaune was generating. Fortunately, it was a rather short ride to the edge of the wall that the Bullhead docked atop. The five disembarked and looked out at the massive forest that stretched in every direction from Vale- the only breaks being the distant mountains that served as another form of wall for Vale, and the military outposts that dotted the land in between them and the true Wall of Vale.

They stood, watching it in the morning light for several long minutes, soldiers and drones milling about behind them. Some were carrying ammunition, crates, and supplies to various towers that overlooked the land, while others were moving barrels and crates of varying kinds of fuel. They were for the Bullheads, fighter craft, and gunships that landed and docked here to resupply. All of them performing either supply runs or, especially now, combat missions to support bases in the distance- ones above which Jaune could see Nevermores and other flying Grimm circling, fighting aerial craft for dominance.

"It's… beautiful up here. As grand a sight as viewing Mistral from one of the garrisons in the surrounding mountains." Pyrrha muttered, awe and a warm feeling Jaune couldn't place radiating out from her and into him, making him smile and relax unconsciously. "I'd not thought to see such splendor until I returned." " _I am glad to see such a thing with my friends. It brings me immense joy."_

"Yeah." Nora said quietly, and he could sense her and Ren's emotions at the sight as well, "It's… amazing."

"This is one of the many things in this world I fight for, children." Ozpin intoned grimly, stepping in front of them and slamming his cane into the ground in an almost aggressive way to make a point, "This view from the wall, the crying of a newborn, and all manner of cliche things, these are why I bleed myself for this world, and will die for it if asked." " _And send others who are like minded to do so as well…. This is what we fight for, Jaune. What we will both die for."_

"I…" Jaune paused, standing next to the man and thinking, lowering his gaze when he turned to him with a raised brow, "I hear what you're saying, and I agree with you. I'd die for this." Jaune gave him another hard look, this time in understanding.

"Good." Ozpin said simply, turning and walking along the wall towards a nearby tower, "We'll descend from here and begin running our patrols towards the farthest mountain, engaging any Grimm we encounter along the way and supporting any military units we find. Understand, everyone?" " _And hopefully, at some point, she'll take the bait. If not, that will at least eliminate some possibilities."_

"Understood, sir." Jaune said quietly, raising his sword and testing the weight unconsciously, "We'll… we'll do our damndest, sir, and make this mission a success."

"I would expect, and accept, no less, Mister Arc." Ozpin said pleasantly, smiling and walking more quickly towards the looming tower. A myriad of turrets on it turned as a Nevermore strayed too close, unleashing a torrent of tiny, muted rounds that ripped into the lightly armored bird. They quickly sent it careening towards the ground, and the gunfire stopped. "Don't mind that, the automated point defense systems eliminate targets like that Nevermore routinely." " _Enough so to be upsetting, truly."_

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 _ **[Archive Entry 1138] Anti-Grimm Atlesian Artillery Loan Program**_

In accordance with the Post-Great War treaties that not only ended the war proper and awarded the minor continent formerly known as Suthra - now known collectively as Menagerie Major - to the Faunus, but also cemented multiple agreements between every Kingdom. Seeking to prevent future engagements, it was hoped that they would foster a kind of codependency that would ensure peace.

One such program is the Anti-Grimm Artillery Loan Program - in Vale at least - which essentially rents out artillery, point defense, sentry droids, air power, and even human soldiers from Atlas in exchange for Atlas' legal renting of large farming areas, allowing a much larger reservoir of food to be collected and distributed to Atlas' people. A similar treaty with Mistral allows for mining rights used in construction, and another in Vacuo allows for military docking and even limited recruitment.

Much of Vale's wall bristles with Atlesian produced cannons, anti-air batteries, mounted emplacements, and so on. Much of that is automated, or manned by the colorfully nicknamed (by Valean and Vacuoan generals Lance Woodwall and Janet Greene respectively) 'Frosty Fuckin' Mercenaries', and serves as the defense against air based Grimm.

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 **Twisted ~ So, a Jaune only chapter. And I added a lore snippet, to help explain to some the Atlesian defense of Vale, and get rid of the question marks there. I will continue doing the lore snippets post-chapter if people like them or find them interesting.**

 **Also, now my Youtube is on hold due to school being out, I should update more often. You have probably noticed that this past week, actually. I also started a part-time steam blowing off kind of project, The Workshop. Don't expect uber good story time there, it's mostly lighter - for me at least - stuff I wanted to produce.**

 **However, on the note of said Youtube, I have a projection currently named Re:Programmed I am working on, so if you guys would like, I can begin recording and uploading on my channel about that, and let you have some early insight into it. As well as that, I am working with my friends on building or buying us a house to use and live in. Once built, much more time will be spent on my stories here, Re:Programmed, and whatever is happening on Youtube, as well as maybe starting streaming. I would genuinely appreciate support in this endeavor, even if it's just a sub on the Temple Walkers. We do however have as well.**

 **Sorry if I feel desperate, I do apologize, but it's my dream so I don't mind a bit of grovelling. Anyways, sorry for the massive AN. Thanks for reading.**


	14. In The Wrong Neck of the Woods

_**Supporters:**_

 **Derek (until you give me your FF name)**

 **Look up TheTempleWalkersOffial to support me, and us, on Pat~**

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 _ **RPG Persona:**_

 **As always, dude, I love your analytics. My entire intent of that episode was to show the other sides of coins. Ironwood drinking after making a tough call. Winter nearly refusing orders, and giving a person leave after the orders hurt them. Ozpin electing to go into the field himself to insure his student's safety. All of it, meant to show the other halves of their coins.**

 **Love ya, dude. Stay Twisted for me, eh?**

 _ **Agent Draakis:**_

 **Perhaps. The trouble I find there is that if I did do that, I'd feel the urge to continue it. It's an issue I have.**

 **My sentiments exactly. A lot of the haste I think people are noticing is in Salem's actions, as you say, regarding a threat. In my version of things, she scouts out incoming Huntsmen for threats and potential recruits alike. As such, she noted his actions, and compared them to other incoming trainees. So, as a threat or a tool, she wants to know how he knew what her directives were.**

 **I like Lancaster, but I don't confirm ships in my fics 'til it happens. As for the name? I'm… fairly sure Joan D'Arc was killed in Castle Lancaster. So make of that what you will.**

 _ **Dragoon:**_

 **Twisted ~ There is a grand total of zero instances in the show where we see James in command of human forces engaging in the field. Zero. None. Not one. The closest we get is him ordering the entire fleet to engage the flying Grimm after Penny's death, and we know how that went. We do however have instances of standing orders. Like sending two soldiers out into the bloody woods on their own. Now, in this, I assume they are part of numerous units on a patrol pattern outside and inside the walls, defending bases.**

 **That said, at the end of the day, he is a General. He can be as compassionate as he wants, but if presented with a situation like mine where he loses one base or two, he is going to decide to lose one.**

 _ **Just a Fan:**_

 **You're fine. However, as for lasers, I would assume they'd be more expensive, and on a wall as big as Vale's? A million 'good enough' turrets would beat out a thousand 'damn fine' ones, ya know?**

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Jaune raised his shield and knelt, the shield almost touching the ground and leaning against his leg firmly. Pyrrha lunged forward and impaled the Creep over his head, her weapon holding the snarling creature up with the leverage brought on by the weapon in its shoulder. She withdrew, and he threw the creature off his shield and to the side, turning to smile at the Amazon.

"Your skills have improved markedly. You fight by my shield as though you had trained by it." She complimented, shifting her weapon and stepping back. Jaune slammed his shield into another Creep and threw it to the ground, Pyrrha stabbing her spear past him and into its throat. "Is this you…?" " _A side effect of your Semblance, perhaps?"_

The teams had divided, Ren and Nora on the other end of a large clearing engaging Beowolves and Creeps as they came. Nora batted aside the Grimm almost effortlessly, laughing happily while she did it, and Ren peppered the lightly armored ones down as they tried to flank her, only occasionally using his blades to disembowel and dismember. Ozpin stood in the center of the field, watching both melees with an amused smile, his cane planted firmly in the soil. Occasionally, in between claws, teeth and black fur, Jaune would see a Grimm rush the older man. When next he'd look, it would be naught but a smear upon the ground, smoke rising lazily into the air.

"Yeah… I think it's a side effect, or maybe a perk." Jaune ducked under a claw, kneeling again as Pyrrha fired several rounds from Milo, using Akuo as a brace for the rifle, and tossing the lesser Beowolf aside easily. "It's like a sense… I feel your instinct in the fight, and it sort of… flows. I just do what that tells me to do, you know?"

"I understand... in a fashion, at least." She said, standing up as the last Creep fell dead at her feet, yanking her spearhead from its back. Turning, she saw Nora crush a wounded Beowolf with a boisterous cheer, and she turned back to Jaune with a satisfied nod, "It would appear the battle is won, for now. Let us speak later?" " _If you seek to keep this a secret, at least."_

"Yeah." he said, nodding and turning when he heard the others walk up. He couldn't help smiling at Nora's wide, giddy grin, "Did you have fun, Nora?"

"Oh yes, yes, yes, yes! I squished so many Grimm! Like, thirty at least!" She bounced up and down, Magnhild bouncing on her shoulders so that it seemed almost weightless, even though Jaune knew better than that, "And Renny did alright, too, I guess. He helped." " _Saved my ass twice… I need to improve."_

"Yes." Ren said plainly, staring straight at Jaune with a small smile, "I helped."

"The battle went well with us as well, and I am glad for it." Pyrrha said brightly, placing her weapons on her back and breathing deeply. She straightened when she saw Ozpin approach from behind the Valkyrie, "Sir. I did not see you in the fight, are you alright?"

"Rest assured, Miss Nikos, that I am more than capable of holding our center and defending myself." He said simply, smiling pleasantly and twirling his cane, looking at the forest around himself, "I have missed this life, in a way. Walking in the woods is… pleasant." " _I do so wonder if she has taken notice of my power as of yet…."_

"Of course, sir." She returned simply, nodding and standing aside so he could take the center of the group and lead them out of the clearing and further towards the mountain. "Sir, you… You said you held the center? But I saw no battle there when I would look." " _On his own."_

"Mostly Beowolves and Creeps, as you yourself fought, quite well I would like to add. And you saw no fight because there was no fight, such Grimm are easily killed when you reach my level of... experience." " _And power, of course. Power helps. Isn't that right, Mister Arc?"_ Jaune coughed in surprise at being addressed through the older man's thoughts, and Ozpin raised a brow coyly, "Mister Arc, are you alright?"

"I-I'm fine, sir." He said quietly, raising his shield to block a small tree limb that Nora had pushed out of the way, "Just winded, is all. Took a hard hit on my shield earlier. I'm fine, Nora." He added the last when the hammer wielder stopped, concern etched into her eyes, "Just tired, that's all."

"Better be, Jauney~" She said in a sing-song voice, slowing to walk behind her leader unconsciously, taking rear guard from him without a word. "The Queen has her eye on her knight~" " _I won't let you get hurt."_

He felt her protectiveness and smiled, sheathing his sword at his side and looking around at the trees. They walked for a while, listening to the sounds of the trees and the far off sounds of the battling Atlesians and Grimm to their East, likely the only reason their venture was going so lightly. But he could still feel… something, in the woods.

"Stop." Ozpin snapped lightly, raising a hand and tightening his grip on his cane. They did so, Jaune and Pyrrha moving to his side with shields and swords raised, Nora at their backs and Ren in the middle, all facing separate directions, looking for… anything. Ozpin stepped forward, out of their circle, looking first right then left. "Large clearing ahead, go now. I will follow as soon as I may."

They hesitated only a moment and then made to move, the forest silent apart from their armor clinking and the sounds of twigs breaking and leaves rustling. They walked for a minute, and Jaune could sense Ozpin following not too far behind, almost at the edge of his passive hearing.

" _Mister Arc, I know about your powers. I know you hear me. I feel something in these woods, nearby and familiar."_ He almost tripped in surprise, looking over his shoulder at Ozpin with wide eyes, Pyrrha watching him closely and tightening her grip on her sword. " _You may have thought of the Scrolls, but you didn't think of the Library's camera systems. Clever. Back to the matter at hand, however… "_

Wood splintered on either side of them, a dozen Alpha Lupinus stepping from behind the trees, hate-filled eyes boring into them as a man dropped from above them in the trees, cackling loudly. He was wearing a long, leather traveling cloak, a dark ponytail was draped over his shoulder as he turned his head this way and that, leering at them almost predatorily. The team readied their own weapons, and Jaune could sense their fright as the man laughed brightly. The path they were on left him above them at the opening to the clearing, and the Grimm could sink into them from up the raised hill just as easily.

"Ah, finally here, finally _here_! I waited for hours for you to show up when my Mistress' bitch came to me! It's so rude, making your elders wait on you." Ozpin joined them, pushing past the group to stand between the man and JNPR. He cackled loudly, bending and holding his chest in his humor, "Ah, and the old man comes down from his tower! She will be _so_ interested to hear that! You must be truly important, _Jaune Arc._ "

Jaune flinched, mouth dry and sword shaking in his hands. The stranger's mind spun in voices, images and ideas, all twisting into a cacophony that Jaune could only compare to Beacon's classes. Ozpin turned, eyes wide, and looked at the blonde for only a moment before turning back to the man.

"Jaune, I can handle Tyrian on my own. However, your team will be required to hold the Grimm at bay until I can kill him. I need to know, can you do it?" Jaune blinked, looking at the men, then at the Grimm. "Jaune?"

"We can, sir. Trust me-"

"I don't want to hear it from you, Miss Nikos. I need to hear Jaune's answer." Ozpin interrupted harshly, flipping his cane around so the wooden shaft pointed at the man threateningly. "I need to hear him say it." " _I need to know the strength of your resolve, Jaune."_

"We can hold, sir." Jaune said quietly, turning from the man to his team with a nervous nod, "We can hold."

Ozpin nodded, turning back to the amused looking stranger with a serious glare and sliding a leg back, preparing for the fight. Pyrrha and Jaune pressed their backs together, their shields raised and ready. Nora and Ren stepped up to either side of them, weapons gripped tightly in their hands. Jaune closed his eyes.

" _They have the high ground, Jaune, we have to take one side or we'll be slaughtered where we stand."_

" _Alphas…. Nora and I need to maintain our positions with them, or we'll be surrounded."_

" _I'll smash anyone who touches my team!"_

" _Jaune! You need to give us an order, what do we do?"_

" _If we stand with them though, Ozpin's back will be open. He needs us to hold them."_

" _Jaune!"_

Jaune opened his eyes, turning to look at Ozpin's back with hard, blue eyes, before looking up at the Grimm. Raising his sword, he turned his head slightly, "When they start fighting, Nora and Pyrrha, go help Ozpin. We will handle the Grimm."

"There's twelve of them, Jaune, you can't-"

"We can do it, Ren." He dismissed simply, relaxing and focusing his power towards Pyrrha, feeling her shudder against his back as his mind touched every inch of her body, feeling her out, feeling her instincts, "We got this, guys. Get to Ozpin, protect him, and bring him to us."

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 _ **[Archive Entry 2059] Grimm Classifications and Specifications - Alpha Lupinus**_

 **Most Grimm exist in a state of perpetual instinctual behaviors. Rather than using intelligence to plan attacks, they will simply charge until dead or victorious. They swarm, rather than herd, so that they can overwhelm enemies. However, a single Beowolf will happily rush at Vale's wall if allowed, heedless of his inability to climb it or the cannons atop it.**

 **Alpha Lupinus, however, do not act this way. They observe, plan, and have been known to even coordinate with other nearby Grimm.**

 **More armored and larger than your average Beowolf, and with instinctive skill to match, an Alpha Lupinus pack is not to be targeted by trainee Hunstmen or lone Hunters. They are only to be hunted by full teams of fully trained Huntsmen and Huntresses. Around eight feet in height, with bony plating layered across its back and shoulders, cascading along its spine and an inch in each direction.**

 **Its face is similar to a Beowolf's, however with the top half covered in a bony mask, similar to the bony plating on an Alpha Beowolf, but uniform to all members of the species. Armor also exists on its lower legs and forearms, small spikes along them for use as weapons.**

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 **Twisted ~ Cliffhanger~ Because I'm a dick~ XD Well, that and I want to stick to around two thousand actual story words or just under, if I can. Next chapter… May be longer, though XD.**

 **And lore on the Lupinus, since I got a rather positive response on the other lore snippet. And so, a fight between JNPR and Ozpin, and Tyrian and a pack of Apha Lupinus. Wonder how that'll go?**


	15. Forest Conflicts

_**Official Supporters:**_

 **SleeplessShippings**

 _ **If you want your name on the lists of my stories and videos, head over to .on and search for the Temple Walkers. Just let us know you're from Fanfiction, alright?**_

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 **Agent Draakis:**

 **Twisted ~ Breach? Why, I haven't the faintest idea what you're referring to~**

 **Alvaraiz:**

 **Twisted ~ The pace will slow down in a couple of chapters, during a sort of interim I have planned until the Breach proper. Should be about five or six chapters of normalcy. Also, as my funding and time goes up from donations, I will make longer chapters. As is, I just do this on breaks.**

 **Ninja Fang:**

 **Twisted ~ Thanks bro!**

 **Bad Humor:**

 **Twisted ~ And people thought my Ozpin was evil or somethin~**

 **Shadow of God:**

 **Twisted ~ Eh, he lost to a newly minted Maiden, but as Cinder had already proven herself competent by beating a Maiden herself, and Tyrian is apparently of a similar rank under Salem to her, I dunno whose strength is higher.**

 **RPG Persona:**

 **Twisted ~ 'Let's hope things get worse'... Dude, you know me so well! But not yet, lol.**

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"Jaune… are you sure that we can do this?" Pyrrha asked quietly when Ren and Nora moved away, the ginger doing so reluctantly with a nervous look in her eyes, humor vanished entirely, "I don't fear battle, not when I'm with my lokhoi, but I'd sooner live than die if it can be helped at all." He smiled to himself. Alone, she spoke with an increasing frankness to him, knowing that hiding her true feelings was a little more than pointless gesture, making his Semblance almost a moot point. "I'm sure you agree." " _I doubt you're suicidal, after all."_

He found himself liking that honesty.

"Pyrrha, we don't have much choice. Besides," he raised his shield, the hoplite turning slightly to bang her spear on it in a show of camaraderie, and the young man dropped his voice to almost a whisper "I wouldn't risk my team without good reason. They want me alive, they'll have to hold back at least a bit, or risk killing me in the fighting."

"Against you, mayhaps, but not against me. What's to prevent them simply overwhelming us and dragging you away?" She asked cautiously, dropping her voice to match her partner's pitch. "I assume you have reason for your stratagem?" " _Or at least, I hope so, at the least."_

"Because with this many, I doubt whatever… thing, is controlling them has enough control over them to specify who to be less aggressive to. It would be easier to use them to subdue us, use you as leverage maybe… To make me cooperate." He sighed, adjusting his footing and watching several of the Grimm sidle along the top of the path, grunting and growling lowly, "I can… sense it, I guess. They're not that well controlled, as smart as they are, and-"

The Grimm chose that moment to make their move, two leaping down from each side while the others stayed back, stepping backwards into the woods to watch and spreading out so they could join when they were needed. They were taking it easy on them, as Jaune had known they would. Jaune rolled under the first one, its claws scraping stone and soil where he'd stood before Pyrrha took its head, spinning and sinking to a knee to catch the one of hers on her own shield shield, grunting from the weight. Jaune raised his own, blocking the following Lupinus' strike on his side and letting the momentum carry him, spinning to bash his sword pommel into its jaw, shattering it like glass.

The beast roared at the pain, staggering to the side, and Jaune sank his blade into the flesh between a couple of its armored plated ribs, jerking the blade as it gurgled weakly and glared at him, claw resting on his collar bone. He could sense its instinct, and smiled when he sensed the intelligence controlling the creatures force it to relent, collapsing to the ground with a wet thud and beginning to dissolve.

Pyrrha, meanwhile after she'd killed the first beast, vaulted her next opponent's initial leap, tossing her spear behind her to impale its skull, intercepting the next Lupinus' claw with her shield, lashing out with a kick as she flipped over her former, and very dead, opponent while her Semblance called the blade back to her, the weapon singing through the air first to her hand, then through the next creature's throat as she spun to the side, killing it almost instantly. She raised her shield as three more scrabbled down the side of the steep incline, catching a pair of claws on her shield and another on her blade, turning the latter to the side and letting the creature slide past her, using her sword to sever the arm attached to the claws that scraped against her shield, smiling and breathing heavily before the third slammed its shoulder into her back, throwing her to the ground.

"Pyrrha!" Jaune yelled, turning and driving his blade into its back before one grabbed his shield arm, yanking him back and throwing him into the ground hard enough to wind him. But it gave her the opening she needed, the woman rolling out from under her dead attacker and hurling her spear at Jaune's opponent, spinning and hurling her shield at the next comer for herself.

Jaune's opponent collapsed, and Jaune kicked the weapon out of it, the red-haired girl using her Semblance to summon it to her, sidestepping so it buried itself in the throat of another Lupinus. She wrapped her hand around the red handle and yanked it free and they pressed their backs together, breathing heavily.

"We… seem.. to be… faring well." She said breathily, raising her shield and smiling brightly as three more slid down the incline to face her, another four on Jaune's side, "How are you doing, Jaune?" " _There's too many to face, and more in the woods I fear."_

"Exhausted… Your training and... your instincts are... all I have going for me." he sighed, grimacing and raising his shield as he inhaled, the two fighters postures mirrors of each other, "Just keep fighting, Pyr. The Headmaster will handle that guy over there, I'm sure of it."

"How can you be so sure?" Pyrrha asked lightly, turning her head slightly to him, sword arm trembling slightly, "Because Jaune, I'm not so sure about this myself. I'll fight for your sake, and honor, but..."

"I know..." He murmured, lunging forward at the closest Grimm with a yell.

Further up the path, Nora and Ren wove between each other, crushing the one Lupinus as it rushed in with Nora's hammer, while Ren used his blade to hamstring the next. Nora spun the hammer, slamming the flat against its head hard enough to throw it aside with a wet smack and catching the next one in the chest when Ren leapt above her to escape it. It snarled, sinking to its knees under the weight and trying to reach her. She leaned back, narrowly avoiding the claws, and Ren brought his twin blades down onto its skull, killing it instantly and sliding it to the side, pulling his blades free with a wet sound.

He leapt to the side then, and Nora stepped back, hammer shifting to launcher and firing a grenade at a Lupinus as it charged. The creature batted it aside, where it impacted against a tree, splintering it and sending it crashing into the woods behind where Jaune and Pyrrha fought, effectively blocking the direction. The young woman backpedaled, weapon shifting in her hands too slowly as the Grimm leapt over its fallen comrade, claws raised and mouth opened wide to show razor sharp teeth.

Ren intercepted it, leaping onto its chest with a roar of almost possessive, or protective, rage and burying his blades into its chest, knocking it off course with his weight and scrabbling across the ground with it. A second leapt after the first, aiming for Ren's back as he fired Stormflower into the first monster's chest, emptying half the ammunition into it. Magnhild caught it, its wielder staggering in the awkward strike she'd been forced to make, hurling it into a tree a few feet away where it coughed violently and staggered upright, glaring viciously at her.

"Hehe, sorry?" Nora offered weakly, the beast roaring in answer and lunging at her angrily. She didn't even laugh as she rolled away, Ren turning from the fresh kill to pepper it as it flew towards his friend, the rounds tearing into its side. Around them, several more of the beasts surrounded them, snarling to charge in and rend and tear at them, only their master's simple instructions keeping them at bay, the simple and intuitive instructions rendering them far less useful than they may have been otherwise.

Beyond that, beyond the fighting in the forest, Ozpin stood a yard away from his opponent, the man bent over, hands extended and blades ready, smiling widely, clearly excited at the bloodshed around him.

Ozpin merely stood, smiling thinly at the other man with an air of almost patience, "You know, you are the _worst_ opponent she could have sent to face me. I suppose in her age, her mind simply must be going, at this point. Happens to the best of us, I am told..."

"How dare you insult my goddess, you sack of shit!" He snarled, smile vanishing as he shot forward, blades singing through the air. Ozpin stamped his cane into the ground, turning to face the man as he straightened, turning to glare at him in confusion from where Ozpin had stood only a moment before. "How did you-"

"Did your queen forget to even tell you my Semblance? Oh, what a pity… It truly must be her mind, you'll have to send my condolences along." He shrugged, smiling pleasantly at the man in front of him, "Or could it be, you aren't here for me? I mean, if that isn't the case, a declining mental state is all that could explain Salem's-"

"Don't you dare speak my goddess' name, you piece of filth! Of course I'm not here for you, she wants the boy! She and her little bitch told me about him, not you!" The man snarled, lunging for him again and snarling when he once more turned to see Ozpin standing where he had been, smiling pleasantly, having once more swapped their places. "Stand still and fight me, you sack of shit! Stop these pathetic tricks!"

"Ah, so you're here for Jaune then… I suppose that rules out him being a spy or anything of the kind then..." He turned his head slightly, watching the boy's desperate fight for a moment before turning back to Tyrian, "I suppose I should thank you somehow." He smiled widely, lifting his cane from the ground by a foot, holding it there almost threateningly.

"Thank me by dying, you old bastard!" the man snarled launching himself at Ozpin, fully intending on spinning to leap at him when they swapped places, smiling widely. Instead, he was stunned - literally - when Ozpin's cane slammed into his stomach, doubling him over as he wheezed. The Older man grabbed him by the pony tail, leaning down to smile at him and pulling it at the same time, so their noses almost touched.

"I was thinking I might just let you live, to tell your queen how you spoiled her plan." The other man snarled and Ozpin shoved him back with his cane, spinning it around like a sword as he walked casually away, "Now come to me again, Tyrian, I have to help my students now that I've gotten my answers from you."

The man frowned deeply, eyes narrowing as he thought, something niggling at the back of his mind like a bad itch. "How do you know me, old man?"

"Let's just say I have my ways and leave it there, shall we?" Ozpin answered vaguely, waving off his glare, "Oh come now, would Salem want your face to get stuck like that?" Mentioning her snapped him out of his lucid state, the man screaming maniacally and leaping for him. Ozpin sidestepped the attack and Tyrian smiled, tail shooting out from under his duster, aimed for the other man's throat.

Ozpin tilted his head back, reaching up to wrap an arm around it and wrenching it downwards all in one fluid move, resting his cane against its base, "Now that was quite rude, young man." He flicked his can, and Tyrian's eyes widened when a clockwork symbol spun into life, twirling around his tail rapidly, "You see, what Salem should have mentioned was my Semblance… Temporal Acceleration."

Tyrian screamed, staggering away as his tail hit the dirt behind him, a small hunk appearing in front of him, "W-What the hell, you son of a bitch?"

"Had I released you, you would of ended up there. I 'accelerated' part of your tale's place in time, severing it." Ozpin explained simply, smiling and shaking his head, "Now, as I promised, you may leave with your life. Tell your bitch of a queen that I'm coming for her, would you?"

Tyrian frowned, wanting to rip the man apart more than he wanted even to live, but instead turned to limp away, whimpering to himself lightly at the failure and the pain. Ozpin watched him go before turning to watch his students fight, the Grimm slowly pushing them back. He raised his cane, eyes closed as he focused for several long moments.

And every one of their heads shifted to positions near enough to their bodies, but _distinctly_ unattached to their shoulders.

Jaune staggered up, watching the creatures collapse before turning back to Ozpin, the man sinking to a knee with a shaky breath, Ren offering him a hand as the other three jogged up to him to join them, Ozpin the first to speak, "I am fine, children. Simply… an old man, too unused to fighting after so long, stiff from peace and safety." " _Ah, the rigors of combat… Such an old memory to recall."_

Jaune looked around them, at his team mate's wounds. Pyrrha was limping on her left leg and her shield was hanging at her side limply, the woman grimacing through the pain in her arm and leg. Ren was bleeding from a gash on top of his head, and Nora was holding her side, breathing shallow. Jaune himself was mostly unscathed, nothing more than scrapes and bruises.

Jaune turned when he felt a hand on his arm, looking at Ozpin's serious eyes and blinking, "Mister Arc, I believe you, Miss Nikos and I, need to have a conversation of the very important sort." " _The kind of important that gets people killed."_

Jaune swallowed nervously, nodding at the older man dumbly.

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For the third time that day, Ruby looked to where JNPR normally sat at their lunch table, chewing her food absentmindedly and drumming her fingers on her thigh. She squeaked when Yang leaned over and nudged her in the ribs with her elbow, smiling widely at her, "What?"

"You've literally spent twenty minutes chewing on that cookie and staring at Jaune's seat." Weiss said quietly, slicing off a piece of her steak primly, politely chewing on it before continuing, "So tell us what's wrong."

"I think she just misses her crush." Yang offered in her usual, oh-so wise manner, smiling when her sister pouted, "Oh relax, it's not like they'd send them on a mission without them bein' ready, right?"

"I guess… I just can't help it, Yang, I always worry you know? I hate when I can't help my friends." She pouted but sighed, tossing the cookie into her mouth and looking at Weiss again, "Yang's right though, right Weiss?"

"I would… lean on that conclusion, yes. Though the Headmaster himself going may be an oddity, I doubt that would place him in any more danger." She shrugged lightly, shoulders stiff and proper as always, "So while I would say they are safe, there are… Other concerns I have."

"Aww, do you miss Jaune too?" Yang teased, smiling at her and taking a large bite of her burger, the Schnee glared at her hotly.

"If anything, she misses Ren. Those two seem to enjoy each other's company often enough." Blake added quietly, flipping to another page in her book and shifting in her seat. She always ate quicker than most, in the hopes of reading afterwards, like she was doing now. "Understandable, I suppose, that she likes chatting with him over someone like you, Yang."

"Hey, Weiss loves me!" Yang defended loudly, frowning at the other girl for a second.

"No, I really don't" Weiss helpfully offered, taking another bite of her food and smiling primly, "I really, truly, don't."

"You people! Fiends and villains, each and every last one of you!" Yang cried dramatically, throwing her hands up in the air and sighing, "Oh, what ever shall I do after such painful words?"

"Suffer in silence?" Blake asked quietly, smiling slightly at the theatrics and turning to another page once again, "Or is that too much to hope for?"

"Far, far too much!" Yang cried again, laughing and throwing a fry at her, "Keep up the sass and I'll toss Zwei in your bed."

"You wouldn't dare!" Blake said seriously, glaring at the laughing blonde before looking at Ruby for help, "She wouldn't, would she?"

"She would." Ruby said with a nod, smiling at the two for a long second, "Did it all the time when we were younger."

"...Fiends." Blake murmured, grimacing and raising her book to ignore their laughing.

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The group limped, literally in a couple cases, into the Atlesian base an hour or so after their fight, Ozpin himself handling every single Grimm to the last Creep that attempted to harry them. It was almost pitiful, the Grimm would charge at them, only for their heads to suddenly appear behind the group and for their bodies to slump to the ground with dull thuds.

The camp itself was normal for Atlesian Frontier Defence Forces to maintain. A large wall of thin but tough armored metal surrounding the camp, which was about two hundred yards in every direction from the center. Each gate was guarded by two tall tower-guns, four barreled monsters that could let loose on both air and ground targets with explosive, sometimes even incendiary, Dust rounds the size of a man's torso.

Inside the compound proper, multiple storage buildings - not-quite towers around three stories tall, with small windows dotting its side - were located at each corner of the camp, large enough to store weapons, armor, food and water, and the other needs and wants for defending a frontier camp. Beside each one was a small vehicle bay and work area, where the Atlesian mechs and robots were stored, maintained, repaired, etc.

At the center was the command center. Rounded and resting atop the box-like base that served as the barracks, medical area, rec area and food court, it sported a large dish on its roof for communications and radar uses. High above the camp, a single Atlesian patrol ship cruised in the air, occasionally firing a round to support a ground engagement somewhere in the forests.

As the gate swung open, three Atlesian drones and a soldier moved out to cover their entrance, a protocol developed after several incidents of retreating soldiers resulting in Grimm overrunning a gate. Once they were safely inside, the soldier turned to them, "Sir, we were informed that you might be travelling through these woods. General Ironwood has instructed we do whatever we need to in an effort to assist you." " _Not that he's as worried about his own men…"_

"Ah, I see. Thank you, Sergeant." Ozpin said simply, and Jaune could sense his displeasure at the militaristic surroundings he was in. "Several of my students are injured, nothing life threatening. I require a place for them to be treated, and a location for me and this team's leader to have a conference and… decide our next move, so to speak."

"Understood, sir." The man turned slightly, raising his arm in front of him and relaying the requests before turning back to the group, "My Base Commander is making the arrangements for your… conference, sir. He has asked that I request any information you have about Grimm in the area." " _What could do this to a group of Beacon's students?"_

"We encountered several packs of Class-A Grimm." Pyrrha offered helpfully, watching the medics run up to them with an almost wary gaze, "We eliminated them, but some may remain scattered around. Best that you know and send out squads to eliminate them, if you can." " _Unless they were only there for Jaune, as I suspect…"_

"Thank you, Miss Nikos." The sergeant intoned simply, turning to march away without another word as the medics looked over Jaune's team. " _And to hurt even the Invincible Girl that bad..."_

"Now, Mister Arc, would you mind accompanying me to see about our… chat?" Ozpin half asked, half commanded, smiling warmly all the while as his team limped off, Pyrrha only doing so at a nod from him, to get patched up. Jaune turned to look at the man, eyes wary and narrowed.

"You know I'll be able to tell if you lie." Jaune said simply, to which the man simply chuckled and nodded.

"Yes, I am aware. That is precisely why we're having this chat." Jaune nodded and followed after the older man quietly.

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The room was small, looking like the kind of place that a few people would receive assignments. Likely squad leaders and the like, with desks, chairs, a collapsible viewscreen on the back wall, and a table at the back of the room. All painted a dull grey on the floor and ceiling with stark white walls, lights set into them to reflect off the bright paint and light the room in a way that wouldn't hurt the eyes.

Ozpin flicked his cane and the table shifted position by a few feet, as well as a pair of chairs at either end of the oval, "My Semblance is what I like to refer to as Temporal Acceleration. I can move things to places they will be. I decided we'd move these things, then used it to shift them to where they _would_ be." Ozpin sat, and after a moment, Jaune sat opposite him and looked at him anxiously, "I am telling you _my_ Semblance as I know yours. Quid pro quo."

"I… Thanks, I guess." Jaune muttered, looking away from him out of habit, to avoid the man's more private thoughts, "I… guess you want to hear some answers."

"You guess?" " _Or you know?"_ The man asked quietly, smiling and rubbing his chin in thought.

"I… I know you do." Jaune answered back, grimacing after a second, "I… Heard you think it, I guess. Just ask your questions, and I'll answer what I can. Okay?"

"That is more than sufficient, Jaune." Ozpin said simply, using his first name rather than the polite way of speaking to him. A way Jaune sensed was a slight manipulation to help him relax. "Start by explaining the specifics of your Semblance for me, then." " _I need to know how to use my tools."_

"I, uh, heard that…" He said simply, Ozpin blinking in surprise and opening his mouth to apologize. "No, don't. I get it. I heard your thoughts and what you meant… If you want to use this to protect people, I am fine with that."

"That's… surprisingly insightful, Jaune." He could hear the other man's impression and respect rise marginally and smiled before the man continued, "Now, if you mind?" " _Your Semblance?"_

"I can read minds, feel emotions-"

"I know. I heard you and Miss Nikos' entire conversation." Ozpin interrupted, and Jaune could sense a tinge of… regret? Anxiety? He moved on too quick for Jaune to get a feel of it, "What I _need to know_ are the mechanics. Range, how to use it, and the like."

"A few hundred feet in any direction, I can feel presences. Up to a hundred, I can hear their thoughts unless I try to focus on one person and block it out. In close proximity, I feel emotions, attune to their instincts if I want to." Jaune explained, gesturing to the door, "I've been… Stealing, I guess, Pyrrha's fighting style. Copying her instincts and habits into my brain so I can use them. I use it in class too, on Port, to understand his… lectures. If I look away from someone, it's… less invasive, I guess."

"I see... " Ozpin was quiet for several long moments before sighing, "Well, Jaune, I just need to ask you one thing then." Jaune looked at him at the intensity of the man's… fear and anger, mixing into an odd cocktail. "Will you help me save the world?"

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 _ **[Archive Entry 102] Atlesian Military Forces, Atlesian Frontier Defense Corps.**_

 **The Atlesian Frontier Defence Corps, or AFDC for short, is the Atlesian answer to the question of how to honor their agreements with the other Kingdoms - Menagerie excepting, reasons** _ **[REDACTED INFORMATION]**_ **\- and thus secure the supplies of food, materials and, just as importantly for preventing war, goodwill to their Kingdom.**

 **The AFDC is the ground-based military detachment in charge of defence and general protections for the Kingdom's allies. Fielding a larger proportional number of Atlesian droids and mechanized infantry, the Paladins as an example, the AFDC tends to build what are now as Border Guard Camps. These camps are typically walled, garrisoned constantly, and treated as rest points for patrols, Atlesian and allied navies needing a place to rally, or even the occasional Hunter group.**

 **The AFDC, as well as the Atlesian Expeditionary Fleet, is treated as the face of Atlas in the Kingdoms, due to the AFDC's personnel having a tendency to spend their leave in the Kingdoms they serve, unable or unwilling to spend the larger amount of money required and the time needed for travel to return to Atlas. These are the troops a citizen is likely to see in their Kingdom's streets, often being requested to serve as police forces under the proper police forces of the Kingdoms.**

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 **Twisted ~ So, finished. Saw some people ask for a longer chapter, so here you go. Hope you enjoy.**


	16. Calling a Vote

_**Official Supporters:**_

 **SleeplessShippings**

 _ **If you want your name on the lists of my stories and videos, head over to P a t. R e . o n and search for the Temple Walkers. Just let us know you're from Fanfiction, alright?**_

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 **RPG Persona ~**

 **Twisted ~ It was a sense. Kind of like a level of accuracy of orders. Like the telephone game. Beyond that, I can't divulge much. Plt reasons. They were in a small, narrow, part of the path. Too close together, and Nora would have been almost useless, being too close to others. He's… In my mind, he's obsessive over her, her approval, and so on. So he wouldn't take kindly to insults towards her. I purposefully left her thoughts hidden, to draw a distinction to when Jaune is around. Thanks as always.**

 **Thanks to everyone for the reviews and compliments. Appreciate it guys.**

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Jaune groaned, straining to force his chest up for the fifth time, while Nora sat in front of him, watching earnestly with a flat expression, "Come on, Jaune… You've only done five, they're not _that_ hard." " _I can do a hundred, easy."_

"Maybe not for you, Nora." He grunted, arms trembling as he raised again and lowered back down, groaning, "Frickin' muscle monster… This is ridiculous."

"You asked us to train you, and we will." Ren tossed in sagely, meditating next to Jaune while the blonde exercised, "Nora's... exuberance is not always the most wonderful of things, but for now it is good. No one can make you physically stronger." " _As long as you survive the ordeal, that is."_ Jaune felt the man's eyes on him for several seconds, " _You will be missed."_

"Perhaps if I were not on his back…," Pyrrha offered halfheartedly, legs crossed and trying not to shift too much, Jaune conscious of her for more reasons than the weight and his Semblance. "I feel that might help. I am not quite a small woman, after all." " _At least we convinced her not to make me wear my armor…"_

Jaune grunted, sighing when the training room's door opened, "Ugh, is he _still_ at this? I'd have thought he'd be done by now."

"He won't be done until his arms stop working!" Nora crowed, bouncing up from her seat and laughing brightly, "That's how his training has to go!" " _He has to be able to lift her. If she got hurt, he'd need to carry her out."_ "Trust me, it's very, very important that he be able to carry Pyrrha around easily."

"May I ask why?" Weiss asked primly, hand on her hip and head cocked to the side, "Or will I even get a valid answer?" " _That would be the usual."_

"It's because she says so, honestly. Nora is… rather passionate when it comes to strength training, we've learned." Pyrrha quipped, standing up and letting Jaune droop to the floor with a groan. Like everyone else, she was wearing her school uniform, the only exception in the empty training room being Jaune in his baggy clothes. "Strength training is… very needed, especially if he wants to learn my style of swordsmanship." " _If he's too weak to hold a shieldwall, he'll only be a nuisance…"_ He raised a brow at her from the floor and she blinked after a second, "Oh." " _Sorry."_

"Hey Jaune!" Ruby cheered, bouncing through the door excitedly. "Are you all feeling better? I heard you had some injuries when you came back... "Jaune almost sighed at the anxiety that suddenly rolled off the girl as she stopped bouncing, looking at them with wide, silver eyes.

"We're fine, Ruby. Promise. Just… scrapes and bruises, mostly. Just enough to get us out of class." Getting drafted into saving the world was also a good excuse… "Sorry to worry you, though." He ruffled her hair playfully, and she batted at his hands and pouted, though he could sense the warmth it made her feel.

"If you keep doing that, you'll spoil her." Weiss grumbled, smiling in spite of herself. " _Not that I don't do that enough already… Honestly, how did her father afford the sweet tooth on that girl?"_

"A little spoiling goes a long way for a growing girl." Jaune said with a shrug, turning to walk across the almost bare excercise room to sit at a bench and grab his water bottle, "That's what my dad always said, when my sisters were kids."

"I'm not a kid!" Ruby pouted, stomping her foot in a way that was very much against the point she was trying to make, shaking her fists at her side as she did so, "I drink my milk, and eat my vegetables!" " _It's still true if Weiss is making me do it…"_

"Even though Weiss makes you?" Jaune asked, smiling when she turned red and Weiss chuckled quietly, hand covering her mouth. "Ruby… you do realize we eat at the same table, right? I'm a fairly observant guy when I want to be, you know."

"Can we get to the point where you tell me why you asked _me_ to come see you?" Weiss asked curtly, crossing her arms over her chest, "I do have things I need to do, you know." " _Like Ruby's homework... "_

"Yeah, I was wondering if you had any ideas for Nora's grenade launcher." Jaune started, jerking his head the mildly surprised ginger, "It uses handloaded Dust explosives, so I thought you might have a few tricks she could use. Elemental rounds, maybe, or a larger payload, or something."

"Ooh! Like, lighting explosives, or fire explosives!" Nora squealed, bouncing with sudden excitement, "Magnhild would be so much cooler with that!" " _And it would add a capability in combat. Extra versatility is always good."_

"I…" He felt a swell of pride and satisfaction from Weiss, and she smiled slightly before catching it, "I suppose I could offer some advice and suggestions. Maybe help with a few modifications, until she learns to do it herself." " _I could order Dust samples, maybe arrange for a small workshop… Oh, Father would be so proud if I could make workable Dust explosives by hand!"_

"I'll go get Magnhild!" Nora cheered happily, running past them with a bright smile.

They were all quiet for a moment before Ruby spoke, "So, uh, how did your mission go?"

Jaune looked at Pyrrha for a moment and sighed, falling into the story Ozpin had given them. "Just a regular patrol outside the walls. Some Atlesians were with us, in case things got bad, but it was mostly fine. Some Boarbatusks and Beowolves surprised us, and we got scraped up, but it was pretty calm in all honesty."

"It was rather tame." Ren added helpfully, smiling almost normally. Jaune was almost certain that if he couldn't hear his thoughts and didn't know any better, he'd have believed the man. "The Headmaster said we acquitted ourselves well, and should rest for a few days before returning to class."

"Nora was… more than content with the lack of homework, luckily." Pyrrha added, laughing quietly. "We've been using the time to help Jaune train, and to… Well, bond, I suppose. It's important for a lokhoi to have tight bonds between its members."

"You mentioned that in the forest to." Ren started quietly, the woman turning to face him as he sat on the floor, legs crossing comfortably and mind radiating curiosity, "What is a 'lokhoi' exactly? I assume it's Mistralian."

"It's… an old Mistralian tradition for Hunters, and ancient soldiers, referring to their teams, legions, units and the like." She started, shrugging slightly and grinning sheepishly, "I… It hadn't registered that I was using it, in honesty. I was trained in the old Mistralian style of fighting first, before I got older and learned a hybrid Mistralian-Vacuon style of fighting." " _It's a term of trust and endearment, and I use it for those reasons."_

"Ah. That makes sense, I suppose. Nora and I were trained at a monastery for a few years. We… are regrettably not as strong as the monks there, and Nora didn't quite take their teachings to heart in a few ways, but it served us well." Ren said quietly, closing his eyes as he slipped into a sort of passive meditation, relaxing but still engaging in discussion with his friends. "You may know of it, Pyrrha. It's the Tai Xum Monastery, a few days south of Mistral. Fairly close to Menagerie." " _Close enough to have caused some anxiety among the monks when it was founded for the Faunus, though they seem to mostly just want to trade."_

"What about you, Weiss?" Pyrrha asked brightly, smiling happily at the Schnee while Jaune leaned against the wall. She turned to see him sitting and sat next to him, looking up slightly at the Schnee, and jaune couldn't help but smile at Pyrrha's almost exuberant joy that he could feel radiating from her. "Where did you train, since we're on the subject?"

"I was trained by several tutors that my father hired to train me, and my sister, Winter. I am trained in the Atlesian Dust-Fencing technique know as Dust Weaving. That's why Myrtenaster has those Dust chambers built into it, when normally that would be very expensive to maintain." She shrugged almost nonchalantly, "Normally it's too expensive to use it, since the more exotic Dusts can cost a fair amount." " _Far cheaper when you own it, though."_ "And you, Jaune?"

"What?" He asked lamely, blinking at the Schnee in surprise, "What about me?"

"Where'd you train, Jaune?" Ruby offered helpfully, smiling next to Weiss brightly, "Someone has to have taught you how to use your sword, right? So where'd you learn?" " _It would have to be somewhere awesome, if Headmaster Ozpin has noticed you."_

"I, uh, well I was trained mostly at home and here, honestly." Jaune said with a small shrug. " _Not really a lie, since that's mostly true…"_ "I've never been that great at fighting, but my tactics scores got me noticed in my village's little academy, and next thing I know, I'm here." " _And there goes that…"_

"Really?" Weiss almost drawled, raising an eyebrow at him disbelievingly. "You were trained at home and here? Nowhere else?" " _Impossible."_

"If that's what he says that's the truth." Pyrrha cut in defensively, staring at the girl with a fake smile. "Or do you have an accusation to make, because I could swear I heard one in there somewhere." " _Careful, Jaune. Whatever secrets you have, I doubt she'll use them responsibly. Or to your benefit."_

"Yeah Weiss, don't start a fight." Ruby half-whined, the white-haired girl sighing and shrugging lightly. " _Please… Everyone is having a good time…"_

"Fine. I don't really care, I suppose." Weiss grumbled, turning to look at the door impatiently, "Where is that insufferable girl? It's been long enough for her to retrieve her blasted hammer by now, surely."

"Knowing Nora, she's doing something worth worrying about, I'm sure." Pyrrha said lightly, relaxing as the tension left the air as quick as it had come, "I don't know exactly why she's taking so long, but I doubt it's problematic in any real way."

"Unless she stopped by the cafeteria…" Ren added quietly, turning his head slightly to look at Jaune.

"Time to intervene?"

"Time to intervene." Ren answered him, the duo hopping up and heading for the door, Pyrrha following behind and explaining to the other two.

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"I understand that you want me to come back, Ozpin, but I can't just-"

"You can and will, Qrow. This is important to an extreme that you and the good general will both understand completely when you are here." Ozpin interrupted, his voice echoing slightly off the cave walls, "I assure you, Qrow, they will be leaving themselves soon enough. This is important."

"Why?" He asked tiredly, shaking his flask and sighing when it was empty, "I thought this was important. That's why I'm _here_ right now."

"I've a new member to introduce to our group. Miss Goodwitch is… displeased by this, and James is coming to meet him as well." Ozpin said, sighing lightly, the sound causing static to ripple across the connection. "As you know, little else can be said until you are _here_ , for reasons you are very, very well aware."

Qrow was quiet for a long time before he sighed, rubbing his forehead to try and treat the encroaching headache, "Look, the team will be back in a few hours, and then I'll-"

"No less than thirty Alpha Lupinus ambushed JNPR and I in the forest, Qrow. They did so under the direction, and in the presence, of a Faunus named Tyrian." Ozpin interrupted simply, the scythe wielder leaning forward attentively at the words, "We need to move quickly, and hold a vote, so that I may move our new friend into a better position to help us. Delaying could have… the kind of consequences that will mean you need to deliver my cane to me. I need you on your way, so that I can get to work convincing Glynda of the need for him."

"I'll leave a note." Qrow said, standing up with his Scroll in his hand, grabbing his scythe and beginning to gather what he needed, "I'll be to the emergency pickup in a day, going by the way the crow flies."

"I understand. Come as quickly as you can. I'll… try to bring Glynda on board with the new member." Ozpin ended the call, and Qrow sighed.

"Fucking Dust, why did I agree to do this job…" Qrow sighed, grabbing a piece of paper and scrawling his notes onto it.

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"What do you mean, you're daking a day's leave?" Winter asked quietly, surprised instead of offended, "We're… You ordered the fleet mobilised into combat formation, if the men find out that you're on a _leave_ while they are fighting and dying in the forest, their morale will waver."

"Then it will waver." He said grimly, turning to look at her as he holstered his sidearm, "But they will do their duties. They are Atlesian, not some pissants from Vacuo, with stomachs full of their mother's milk. They will do their _duty_."

"Some of those men are actually from Atlas, you know." Winter argued, gesturing at the window of his quarters. A spartan room, mostly empty aside from a bed and a dresser, connected to his command bridge, "They enlisted with _us_ to repay our kindness, to do some good in the world."

"And they have, in spades, but they aren't Vacuon anymore. They're of Atlas." He nodded, smiling thinly, "Everyone serves Atlas as they will. As do I."

"By taking leave?" Winter asked, shaking her head, "Sir, I fail to realize-"

"Yes, you do!" He snapped, turning to her in an uncharacteristic loss of his composure before he took a breath, turning and leaning on his bed's frame, hands gripping the metal hard enough to bend under his cybernetic side, "I am going to Vale, to make arrangements for that very reason. I always serve Atlas. In everything I do."

"Sir, I didn't mean to-"

"No, but you did." He said casually, sighing and turning from where he'd stared at the wall to stare at her instead, eyes hard. "I lost my arm, my leg and part of my skull for Atlas, Winter. I always serve its interests, above all."

"I… I understand, sir. I'll… I'll arrange things and make sure your plans are followed, as best as the commanders can manage." She said, snapping to attention and looking at the wall, avoiding his gaze.

"No." James muttered, stepping into her line of sight and locking eyes with her, " _You_ will act as the commanding general, under my direct authority and with my permission."

"But sir… I'm…"

"A Schnee, I am aware. You will lead, and they will follow." He threw his coat on, stepping past her and opening the door, "Petty politics isn't at work here. But we have to show that to them."

"I understand. Yes, sir." She turned, heel against her calf as she spun on the spot and clicking against the ground when it came down, saluting the general.

"Good. I'll be back in three days." He walked out the door, shoes echoing on the metal floor as he went, and Winter sighed and relaxed, shaking lightly.

"Oh Dust, oh Dust, oh Dust, Winter…. What have you gotten into now." She straightened, ran her hands along her body to check her uniform, before turning to follow him out the door crisply.

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"Faked transcripts were one thing, Ozpin. But this… this is another." Glynda said tersely, glaring at him lightly from over his desk, arms across and sitting in a chair. "I won't be party to this… foolishness."

"Glynda, I already told you what he could do." Ozpin said simply, fingers steepled under his nose, "Just having him _around us_ could mean complete protection from spies, agents and more. And even beyond that, we'd be able to recruit safely. For the first time since our organization began."

"According to the abilities of a liar and a thief, and who knows what else that that boy has done. Ozpin…" She shook her head, turning to stare out the window again. "I cannot condone it, Ozpin."

"I'm asking for your vote, not for you to condone his past acts." Ozpin said simply, shrugging when she looked at him with a raised eyebrow and tilted head. "If _she_ gets him, then that would be worse. As a Huntsman, he would likely fall to her eventually, one way or another. Without him here, close by, to protect him, Beacon itself could fall. Or worse."

"Worse?" She echoed quietly, shaking her head slightly in disbelief.

"Worse. She gets him under her thumb, walks him past a general… Or a Councilor…" He trailed off, raising a hand and closing his fist, "She could get the proverbial, or literal, keys to the Kingdom."

"That can't be allowed." She said, nodding in agreement with his point. "I… Still disagree with your suggestion, though. We could easily expel him, blacklist him, and use our contacts to keep him in Vale. Safe, away from the Grimm."

"But _not_ from anyone working on her behalf. I fought one already, as you well know." Ozpin said quickly, sighing and leaning back, "So either we recruit him, or we kill him to protect ourselves."

"Ozpin!"

"Do not shout at me as though you scold a child, Glynda!" He shouted back, slamming his palms onto his desk and standing, leaning on it, "Vale, Atlas, Vacuo, Menagerie and Mistral. These I am sworn to protect. I need your vote to get what I want and recruit him. _Not_ to kill him. I do not want that, but I will do it and anything else to protect the world."

"You… You would threaten a child's _life_ …"

"For the world? Yes." He said simply, looking at her as she sighed, closing her eyes and breathing deeply.

"Oh gods, I believe you would…" She shuddered, standing up and turning to leave the room, "You will have my vote, Ozpin." She turned to look at him, eyes hard, "I will never condone what he did… Never condone what you _would do_ … But I understand it, on both your parts to differing extents."

"Thank you, Glynda, I…" He sat down, letting out a shaky breath and leaning his head back, "Just… Thank you."

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 **Twisted ~ So, sorry for the other POVs. I needed them here. I know people dislike them, and I have scrapped a few things as I moved forward after that knowledge came to me, but in this instance it was required. Context.**


	17. What you Say, and What you Think

_**Official Supporters:**_

 **SleeplessShippings**

 **Shadie**

 _ **If you want your name on the lists of my stories and videos, head over to P a t. R e . o n and search for the Temple Walkers. Just let us know you're from Fanfiction, alright?**_

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 **Twisted ~ Okay so, a very quick note here, before I get to the reviews. I know how fast things seem to have gone. That's because I removed several arcs that were non-Jaune, since no one seemed to care or outright opposed them, and moved them elsewhere. After** _ **this**_ **chapter however, we'll be to the point those arcs would have taken us, and they will be a touch slower and more balanced. Now moving on to the story~**

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 **Talon Iben-**

 **Talob Inen-**

 **Talon (Odd Name Man) ~**

 **Twisted ~ Your name is… interesting. Anyways, you did ask for Neo... Also, thank you for the history lesson. I'm actually studying Joan of Arc's death for reasons related to a fic idea I just have to make.**

 **RPG Persona ~**

 **Twisted ~ Jesus, dude, if I didn't love your reviews I'd tell you to chill. XD**

 **Might be my fault, frankly. I tried to describe it, and forgot the word 'defile'. I apologize. And yeah, I considered staying in the field, but as nothing would happen out there, I decided against it. Would have felt like… cheap filler, I guess?**

 **Hey man, you see Nora's hammer? If she does that, and she can swing that, seems legit to me. XD And yeah, I know it was flimsy and angsty, but I'm trying to build up Pyrrha's cultural heritage, since she died before it could happen in-canon, a bit. And it's Nora. There were obviously explosions.**

 **Glynda's comment about Jaune being a liar and a** _ **thief**_ **are a reference to 'Stolen Valor', where someone pretends to be a soldier to get the special treatment for it. She was essentially alluding to his crime of pretending to be a trained Huntsmen.**

 **Agent Draakis ~**

 **Twisted ~ Yeah, Ozpin is serious. He'll do anything for his people.**

 **Ninja Fang ~**

 **Twisted ~ Thanks for the support!**

 **All of My Silent Readers ~**

 **Twisted ~ Thanks for following along!**

 **Mika ~ Fun fact- During the creation of this chapter, there was a scene that led us both to panicking.**

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"When do you need to go to the Headmaster's office?" Pyrrha asked, circling him on the roof with her shield raised, heels and armor tinkling and clicking lightly. "I wouldn't wish to make you late." " _Though I do enjoy our private bouts."_

"I enjoy them too, and I have time." Jaune said, easing towards her, his boot scraping on the cement roof quietly, "Besides, if I tell them I was training with you, they'll probably think I'm more studious than lazy."

"Good." She said shortly, stepping in and lunging for his chest with her spear. Jaune knocked it to the side with his shield's rim, stabbing towards her exposed throat with his sword and forcing her to step back an inch to avoid it. He followed her, slamming his shield against hers and pressing against her, Pyrrha's shield-arm pinned under her shield. She smirked and spun to the side, trying to trick him into stumbling past her, and turned to swing at what should have been his exposed back, instead striking the metal of his shield hard enough to send a shudder up her arm and numb the limb slightly. The young knight shoved the weapon to the side with his shield and lunged in with a stab at her midsection, her shield barely caught it, but it still forced her to retreat slightly.

"I thought we agreed, Jaune. No Semblances." She said jokingly, laughing at him when he shrugged, and flicked her sword. Clicking a button on instinct to shift it into its polearm variant, she locked her shield in front of her and held the spear point towards him, the shaft pressed against the rim, "That was quite unfair of you." " _Crafty, though, and it's not like you wouldn't do it in a real fight or in a tournament."_

"All's fair in love and war, Pyr." Jaune tossed back, smiling at her and raising his shield, almost asking what was wrong when he felt her emotions flutter in a way he didn't understand. She took two steps forward, shield unmoving, and stabbed at him with her spear before he could give it much thought. The point pounded into his shield several times while he tried to circle around her to get past the shield. They circled like that for a minute, his sword striking her shield in a most ineffectual way and her spear trying its hardest to work a dent into his shield.

"And what would you know of those things, Jaune?" She asked, and he would almost feel… bitterness and amusement? He shook off the contradiction when he saw her spear lunge for his throat, raising his shield to block it... and receiving a boot straight between his legs. "Jaune!"

He squeaked in response, droppings his weapon and falling onto his side, and she knelt next to him as he moaned, "Why, Pyr? I need those.…"

"I'm sorry, I thought you'd know it was coming and move!" She said loudly, laying her weapons aside and helping him lean against a wall where he sat moaning for another few seconds, "Are… are you alright?"

"'M fine." He said quietly, voice high and strained, "Metal leg warmers hurt, though."

"They're… called greaves, Jaune." She said, laughing slightly and shaking her head, "Do you want… ice, or something?" " _Please choose the second option-"_ "Ignore that." She added, blushing lightly and tucking her hair behind her ear, "Sorry. I… forgot you could hear."

"'S fine." He said quietly, Aura already healing the 'damage' and easing the pain, "Aura is working its magic anyways, so no worries. Just gonna… wait a moment, and head to the office."

"Would you… like me to send the Headmaster a message? Just to tell him you suffered a mild injury in training, so you may be a touch late." He could sense how guilty she felt, and nodded quietly after a second. She stood to go over to their bags, keeling to fish out her Scroll and send the message him. "So, um, any thoughts on the dance coming up?" " _We've been distracted lately, so you may have missed it."_

"I hadn't thought about it, honestly. With what's happening, I… might just skip it." He turned from where he was leaning against the wall to look at her back, eyebrow raised, when he felt disappointment hit him, "Are you… okay, Pyr?"

"Yes, yes I'm alright." She said crisply, turning to smile at him, "I just… don't worry about it, it's fine." " _I just wanted the memories…."_ "I understand that you're busy, so don't worry about it."

"Pyr, if you want us to all go together, none of us would mind." He said, standing up and shrugging at her, as he smiled in an effort to cheer her up, "I'd need to buy a suit, but that's not a problem. I might ask Ozpin now that I think about it."

"I…" He felt a sudden bout of nervousness attack him, and realised it had come from her when she stood stiffly, straightening, "I do not _want_ us to go- as a team, I mean."

"Then what do you-"

" _I want to go with you."_

"Oh." He said, the word coming out in a breath like someone had pressed on his chest, "I, uh, well, I mean, I-"

"If you are uninterested, just… say so." Pyrrha half-murmured, turning to look at him and biting her lip slightly, "I know it is sudden, and you have enough on your shoulders as it is… I would not begrudge you not wanting that." _Even if I wish for it.…"_

"I… I mean, it isn't _that_ , it's just…" Jaune sighed, standing and rubbing the back of his neck, "I just feel like you deserve a little better, I guess? I mean, look at you… you're Pyrrha Nikos, you deserve the best."

"The unapproachable Invincible Girl?" She asked sadly, shaking her head and looking away from him, "Is that really what you see, Jaune? When you look at me, you just see the Invincible Girl, Pyrrha Nikos?"

"No!" Jaune said loudly, raising his hands and stepping forward, "I just… I think you deserve better than… Me, Pyr. And I… I gotta go, so can we talk later, maybe?"

"Yes." She said quietly, nodding and turning away from the door, "Go on, I shall… stay, and look upon the stars." " _And think."_

He didn't respond, simply grabbing his pack and heading into the building. Not even stopping to remove his armor, he marched through the halls as quickly as he could; trying to get distance from the red haired woman's feelings. It was late enough that the only people really in the halls were custodial staff, and the occasional droid patrolling.

Still, he felt… odd, walking down the halls, his armor still on and Crocea Mors at his waist. Looking out a window as he walked, he saw the green gleam of Beacon tower's apex, and sighed.

"The hell have I gotten into…"

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The elevator ride was quiet, at least until he got halfway up. He could hear their thoughts far before he reached the tower's apex, and knew they were arguing. A lot. And had been, for a good long while, from what he could sense. The doors slid open, though, and everyone was quiet.

"Mister Arc." Ozpin said invitingly, smiling and gesturing to a chair next to him. The room was the same, aside from his desk having been moved back and several chairs lined in a circle, the only empty seat being the one Ozpin gestured to, "I heard you were hurt training, are you alright?" " _Training is admirable, but your timing was… unfortunate."_

"Yeah, I just had to… let my Aura do it's job, you know?" Jaune said, walking across the room and ignoring the eyes he could feel boring into his back, to sit next to the man, "Sorry to make you wait. I… guess I should have waited until tomorrow to train, but I just… wanted to get started, I guess? Because this is important..."

"A willingness to work hard and progress yourself is good, young man, but you should have waited." The white clothed man said, arms crossed over his chest, "However, clearly you are aware of that, and that means it was either purposeful negligence or desperation." " _Time to see how he does in the heat.…"_

True to his thoughts, Jaune didn't sense any actual malice in his words and looked to Ozpin before he spoke. When the man nodded at him, gesturing with a hand at the group, he took a breath and spoke, "Neither, sir. I was training with Pyrrha Nikos, she got the best of me and struck me. However, I was training because if I am going to be working with you people, or - or for you, I guess? Either way, I need practice and training; which is what I've been doing all day."

They looked to Ozpin, who spoke in a calm tone, "Team JNPR was granted several days leave, to make room for this meeting, as per usual after a mission where more than half the team suffers wounds. During that time, they have had a training room reserved where I have seen Jaune going through a rather intense regime of training." He turned to look at Jaune, nodding approvingly, " _Don't lean on me quite so much, they need to respect you for you. This will be harder if they think you and I are closer than we are."_

He looked at the general, and felt his approval rise slightly, before the caped man spoke up, "Sorry, Oz, but I gotta interrupt. You ever gonna introduce us, or are we just going to be strangers?" " _Not that I don't know exactly who he is.…"_

"Ah, of course, my apologies. Everyone, this is Jaune Arc. Jaune, you know Miss Goodwitch, and the other two are General James Ironwood, of the Atlesian Navy, and Qrow Branwen, your friends Ruby and Yang's uncle." The general nodded crisply, while Qrow waved halfheartedly, "They are all my closest allies, and you may trust them as much as you trust me." " _Which I hope for your sake, is not too terribly much as of yet. Never trust people simply because they are an authority."_

"Isn't he the one who used fake records just to get into the school?" Qrow asked, earning a dirty look from Ozpin and Glynda. "What? I think it matters. Important to know who we'll be workin' with, at least in my opinion." " _Not that I woulda done different."_

"He is a _fraud_?" James demanded angrily, standing from his chair hard enough to make it move, wood screeching against the tile, his mind ablaze in anger and thoughts of treason. "You told a fraud about us? Brought us all here to meet him? Why is he not imprisoned?"

"Yes, he is. But he is also a brave young man that has stood his ground twice against high class Grimm, never once hesitating to step into battle." Ozpin argued simply, shrugging, "And besides, with his Semblance, everything else is a moot point to me." " _Play the card, Jaune. Tell them what you can do."_

"I, um, I can… When I'm around people, I can read their thoughts and feel their emotions." He flinched when the room suddenly grew dead silent, everyone but Ozpin staring him down.

"Ozpin, you put a fraudster who can read _minds_ in a room with me?" The Atlesian said quietly, fury rolling off him as he glared at the man, "Tell me you are joking, Ozpin. You can't have been that foolish, surely."

"Apparently, I am." Ozpin said jovially, chuckling lightly, "Relax, old friend, he's not a threat. I'd have… dealt with him having such an ability in a very different way if I weren't sure of that- as you very well know. With this ability of his, I have recorded him speaking with Amber, and-"

"He's _spoken_ with her?" The general interrupted, looking at Jaune directly, "How?" " _This could be invaluable to our research."_ "Have you been to the Vault?"

"No, I…." He took a nervous breath, rubbing his hands together as he tried to think of how to phrase what he wanted to say, "Ren, one of my teammates, has been helping me with Aura control. When I'm alone, or if I… if I focus on her, I can speak to her, sort of. I… think it's because she's comatose, or something. Pyr and I tried, but it hasn't worked for us yet."

"At the end of the day, we have someone with a very powerful ability. One who already knows much about our group and its intentions, and _agrees_ with them." Ozpin argued calmly, standing and gesturing at the general, "I remember when I had to convince others to let you into our little circle of trust, James. How is this different?"

"I was not a fraud, Ozpin." He argued defensively, "Or a thief, if his armor is any indication. No Hunter family would let an untrained person do what he did, and I recognize the crest, Arc."

"No, you were just a coward who ran away from his post in a battle when I recruited you." Ozpin argued, the old man scowling at him in fury. Ozpin ignored him, "Qrow was raised by a bandit clan, and participated in the destruction of three villages before leaving. Many do things they aren't proud of, James; but when done with good intent, you know their character."

"I wasn't a coward…." James defended weakly, retaking his seat and leaning his arms on his knees, "At least tell him the context."

Jaune flinched when his senses were assaulted by sensations and images, holding his head in his hands and groaning, clutching his right arm tightly. Ozpin chuckled, "I would wager he understands far more than I do, now, James." He felt the searing heat in his arm and running down his leg, the feeling of claws scraping his skull, and the way his body slammed into the ground when the woman tossed him aside, slamming her body into the Grimm's and shoving a knife in its throat. He flinched when a hand touched his shoulder and looked up at Ozpin's concerned face, "Jaune, are you alright?" _What are you seeing?"_

"I feel the pain… feels like my arm and leg are barely hanging on, and my head… hurts…." Jaune shook his head, trying to clear the memories out and breathing shakily, "I don't know, the images are cluttered and... confused."

"I think it best that we change the subject, Ozpin." Glynda said quickly, concern radiating from her, "I would… propose we hold the vote, to see if he stays."

"My opinion stands." James said simply, shrugging and avoiding looking at Jaune, "He's too dangerous, Ozpin, even with all the possible benefits. If he turned on us he could wipe out everyone who knows what we do easily enough. Or he could steal information. Passwords, access codes, agent names and more." " _As though him poking around in our heads isn't bad enough on its own."_

"My vote is, of course, to recruit him." Ozpin said simply, looking at Qrow.

"Seconded. Tired of being the only spy we have. Gets exhausting after a while, always being the only one diggin' up the dirt on people." He shrugged, fishing his flask out of his jacket and taking a drink, "Could be useful. Useful enough to run the risk, I'd say." " _Gonna need some hands on though, probably. Ah well, maybe I can spend some time with my girls while I do it."_

"I… I vote we recruit him as well." James sighed, standing up and straightening his coat, and she stood, "James, the Grimm are trying to kidnap him at every turn! We can turn this war around, in a way that Humanity has been unable to since the dawn of our civilization." " _Everything will change…."_ "Imagine it, for just a moment, James. We could go on the _offensive_ , if we captured but one of her agents, for the first time in our existence."

"Or they could take _him_. Turn _him_ against us, or even simply break him." The man turned to Jaune angrily, "Have you ever faced torture, young man? Ever been interrogated? Had your friends threatened for your compliance?"

"'Course he hasn't, General." The man managed to turn his _rank_ into a sneer, "And 'fore I started workin' for you all, I hadn't spied on anyone, or killed, or been shot. We all learn new things in this field, don't act like it matters now just because you lost a vote." " _Damn military types and their sticks up their asses."_

"If it will help you along, James." Ozpin offered, the man turning to him when he was addressed, "You could always give him some training under a few Atlesian officers- maybe even enter him as a Ward in that new Atlesian program I read about the other day."

James stiffened, looking between the three of them before leveling his gaze at Jaune, "Fine. I'll put him under Winter, then. She could use an assistant. Saturday, be at the Dust til Dawn shop, you'll be helping Winter procure some supply shipments. Prove your worth." He stormed from the room without another word, and Ozpin sighed.

"Well, at least that's been dealt with." He chuckled.

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 **Twisted ~ Finished~**


	18. Very Important Questions

_**Official Supporters:**_

 **SleeplessShippings**

 **Shadie**

 _ **If you want your name on the lists of my stories and videos, head over to P a t. R e . o n and search for the Temple Walkers. Just let us know you're from Fanfiction, alright?**_

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 **Agent Draakis:**

 **Twisted ~ The length doesn't matter. Just ask asians. Sorry for the fry incident, maybe learn to control your gag reflex.**

 **The Critic:**

 **Twisted ~ Glad you are enjoying it, honestly. Means a lot.**

 **RPG Persona:**

 **Twisted ~ As per usual, Jaysus. Love the analysis.**

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"It's fortunate that you took my offer then, it seems." Cinder groused, smiling in faux warmth at Tyrian's glaring form, "I… suspected that Ozpin wouldn't make things as simple for you as you'd have thought. Unfortunate that helping you has kept me from _my_ plans however."

Cinder sighed, tossing her hair and looking around the grungy motel room while Tyrian practically pouted, "I could have handled him if it were really me, instead of your little witch's illusions."

"If not for Emerald, you would be significantly less of a man than you were. Well, less of a _Faunus_ , but the point remains the same." She shrugged, ignoring his baleful glare, "We just need to hope that Neo, Emerald, and Mercury can hold things down until the dance and provide the distraction we both need for my plan to work."

"And are you ever going to _tell me_ your plan, since it seems to involve me." He grumbled, shoulders drooping and pout intensifying. "If my Queen finds out that I listened to you, and I don't get that damn boy, she'll be displeased."

"And you won't allow that, I know." Cinder chuckled dryly, shaking her head and moving towards the door to the room, opening it and stopping for a second. "Just lay low for now, I'll send you what you need to know when you need to know it. Not before then."

"But that's so… boring." He moaned quietly, sighing and cracking open a cold one, staring out the window at the rising sun.

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Jaune sighed, running the whetstone down his sword's length and listening to the quiet rasp it gave, lifting the blade to look at the edge. He was waiting, as told, in Beacon's rooms adjacent to the docks where Atlas had several rooms set aside for their use. Mostly just old offices, classrooms, and a couple storage closets. But enough for basic briefings, offices for commanders, and the like if need be. He could sense James approaching him from behind with a woman in tow who he assumed to be Winter. He frowned before sheathing the blade and standing, turning to a disgruntled looking Atlesian General and a mildly confused but disciplined looking woman. He almost doubted he'd have caught the confusion on her face if he didn't feel it from her mind.

"General Ironwood." He said, waving slightly and smiling awkwardly at him in a way that the man found to be highly unimpressive, "Uh, morning?"

"Good morning to you as well, Jaune. I… feel I should apologize to you, and I have already done so to Ozpin personally. While my lack of trust was clearly warranted, given that Ozpin had already gone through a process to determine your allegiance I should have heard you out more." James offered him his hand, and Jaune looked at him in surprise, "I wanted to welcome you to my circle formally." " _At least that way, I can keep an eye on you in any event."_

"It's fine, really. You should have been doubtful of me," Jaune said, shaking his hand and begrudgingly accepting the general's slightly standoffish approach to him, even if it was still just in his mind. "And you're Winter, I guess?"

"Yes. My name is Winter Schnee, and I've been told that General Ironwood wants me to train you as an Atlesian soldier, even if you are most blatantly not one." " _As made quite evident by your lack of respect for the General."_ Winter said coldly, looking him up and down, examining his armor with some disapproval before looking at his sheathed sword, "You use a blade?"

"Uh, yeah?" He drew it hesitantly, the weight more than comfortable in his hands by now, and she looked at it with approval, nodding at it. "It's named Crocea Mors."

"Yes, I am aware of the tradition of Hunters to name their weapons.…" She murmured, looking it over before straightening and looking at him, "I find it dated and taxing. Still, it is a fine blade. I would wager it fares well against the Grimm." " _Not as well as a rifle, of course, but still…."_ "We can likely have a sidearm issued to you, if you wish."

He paused, reading her for a moment, before nodding, "Yeah, would probably help. Might not be able to stab everything, you know?" He sensed her approval at his acceptance… followed immediately by her disdain for his way of talking, something he elected to remedy if he could. "Sorry, I know I'm not exactly... the peak of military professionalism like you're used to. But that's why I'm here, with you, right?"

She looked at the General, and Jaune almost grinned at how positive she was feeling towards him. "I think I may be able to work with him, sir. Surprising as it is." " _At least he's willing to work… for now."_ "I'll need to conduct a formal interview, of course, and-"

"I have a dossier on him with the non classified materials inside. You may conduct your interview and use it to cross-check, or read it beforehand and just ask what you may about it." He handed her a small notebook and turned, clasping his hands behind his back. "I left a segment open for your notes on your inquiries. Record everything separately, and list the relevant information there." " _I may need it after all, if he turns against us."_

Jaune coughed and James turned to look at him. The young man raised an eyebrow before the General realized his mistake and grimaced, striding away wordlessly. "So," Jaune started, turning back to the Schnee, "interview?"

"Yes." She turned, walking away from him, and Jaune didn't need telepathy to know he was supposed to follow. He watched her back as they walked and wondering what would happen next when she spoke, "You are partnered with Pyrrha Nikos, the Mistralian Champion, correct?" " _An excellent partner to be sure."_

"Yes, she doesn't like to be called that though." She looked over her shoulder at him, raising an eyebrow. He shrugged, "She just doesn't, okay? She just wants to be a Huntress, nothing more, and she wants to be treated like that. Would you want preferential treatment for being a Schnee?"

" _No."_ She turned from him instead of speaking, stopping next to a door, "Wait in here. I will retrieve some beverages for us and read through your dossier, then we shall talk for a time." " _Only after I have read it, though."_ "Do you have a preference for drinks?"

"I like People Like Grapes, if the cafeteria has any out." He nodded, and she turned without a word to walk away while Jaune went into the room to wait. He sighed when he sensed her pass from his ability's range, "Of course it's Weiss's sister… just had to be. If it wasn't, that'd be too easy."

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"Yes, ma'am, I'll have the supplies you requested delivered outside the office in a few minutes. Is that all?" The soldier asked quietly, standing in front of her and clearly mildly irked at being ordered to fetch _snacks_ of all things.

"Yes. And take your time, I don't want him to notice it until I am ready." He gave her a crisp salute and marched away. She entered the room, a small barracks that was empty while the soldiers patrolled, and sat on a footlocker, flipping open the book and raising an eyebrow. "Mostly blank, aside from his Semblance... _Mind reading?_ What on Remnant?" She sighed, collapsing in on herself slightly in a realization. "If that's his Semblance…. That's what the general was doing the other day. He was recruiting this boy… Jaune Arc. Interesting."

She pulled out a pen and began making notes in the notebook. ' _Range, depth of read, focus, needs, ways to mitigate, uses.'_ She began thinking about risks it could pose, and her mind raced. Access codes, passwords, callsigns, code names… the risk was as staggering as the uses, to be frank.

Then she thought of Weiss, a student in his year and probably in a few of his classes…. A wealthy young woman who wanted nothing more than honest love and affection with someone who could read her very mind and do everything she'd want, when she wanted, and manipulate her perfectly? He'd marry into a family of affluence and power and live comfortably for his entire life.

Standing, she started walking back towards the office room to have their chat.

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Jaune straightened when he sensed Winter's presence coming towards him, and thanked his Semblance for it. At least he'd keep his good first impression… though from her discomfort, he sensed that she'd read about his Semblance. He was curious as to why James hadn't told her everything, but knowing the man's paranoia, he probably wanted to wait until he knew she'd take the job he'd give her before telling her anything he'd find… uncomfortable. She paused to grab the small tray that the Atlesian soldier had left, carrying it into the room and setting it on the table, the only furniture aside from his chair and the one she sat in right after.

He took the soda can and cracked it open, listening to her arrange her thoughts and school her emotions while she let him take a drink politely, raising an eyebrow when he finished and set it down, "I'm surprised, many Hunters would demand I drink first to test for poison." " _Not that a student should think of that.…"_

"You and I both understand why I wouldn't be worried about something like that." She straightened in mild surprise and agitation, both of which he felt coming from her in spades, "And I'm sure you have questions, on the record and off, so go ahead."

"Off the record first, then." She slid the notebook aside and folded her hands in front of her, chewing her lip anxiously for a second in a way that drew Jaune's eyes inexorably. "Weiss is my sister, I'm sure you made the connection based on our names."

He sat for a second, quiet and listening to her emotions, "And you're… scared for her?"

"Yes. Someone like you could manipulate anyone… and she is more prone to certain methods of manipulation than others." " _Thanks in part to our father, the bastard."_ She paused and he understood, sighing lightly and leaning forward, looking into her eyes in a way he hoped conveyed honesty.

"I care about Weiss, Winter. She's a friend, even if she's not a close one. I'd never even _think_ of using my Semblance to manipulate her." She looked at him for a long second and nodded, letting him relax back as a result before he sensed her emotions shift, "And I hear your regret. Don't. You did the right thing, asking. I worry about falling to… to that every day."

"I am glad, then." She smiled warmly at him, something he was fairly sure was a rare thing, and pulled the notebook back to her, "I have some questions, then, if you don't mind." " _Not that we have much choice…."_

"Go ahead."

"Alright. First off, what is the approximate range for your abilities, as it stands?" He heard her pen scratching away on the pad, and closed his eyes, reaching out as far as he could.

"From the base of Beacon Tower, if I sit down and close my eyes and _try_ then I can cover most of Beacon. I can't sense thoughts then, though, just emotions and presences." He shrugged, opening his eyes and watching her write it down, "I, uh, I don't know how useful that could be, though."

"Very useful, actually. You could, for instance, memorize the layout for a building and its restricted areas, the number of people who should be in them, and tell us if more are there." She wrote quickly, writing the sentence as she said it, and looked up, "How in depth can you get with your power?" " _How far into a mind can you go?"_

"I don't really know… I can read their emotions and their thoughts, but I can't like… steal secrets or memories or anything. It's only whatever they're thinking of." He gestured at her, "I could feel your anxiety when you came into the room, for example, but since you didn't think it through, I couldn't tell _why_ you were anxious."

"And is there any way to weaken your ability? Or block it?" " _So we can protect ourselves from you."_ She looked up after a second, smiling pleasantly the whole while, and Jaune grimaced.

"Not that I know of…." He'd have to be used to people wanting to find ways to beat him, he supposed.

"Next question, then..."

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"Hi, Jaune" Pyrrha said quietly when he walked into the cafeteria, sitting alone at their usual table. He raised an eyebrow at her and she smiled, "The others went on back to the dorm, but I felt that it would be better to wait for you. We all know you think with your stomach as much as with your head." " _A typical man, truly."_

"Winter brought me some food during our… interview, I guess." He saw her face fall, and felt her emotions take a dive, only then noticing the pizza she had sitting in front of her under a plate, to keep it warm. "You saved me some pizza?"

"I… Yes, but if you are not hungry-"

"I'm always hungry for Beacon's pepperoni, Pyr." He plopped into the seat and she smiled, sliding the food across to him while he relaxed and sat Crocera Mors on the table, "How was class, by the way?"

"I… am afraid I do not remember it. Professor Port's lessons are always… overly relaxing." " _I slept through the whole thing."_ Jaune chuckled and she blushed, pouting slightly, "It's not that funny."

He just smiled and shook his head, chewing on his slice for a long second and thinking to himself, before rolling his shoulders. "Hey, Pyr? The dance is next week, so…" She looked up at him and he grinned when he felt the hope blooming in her chest, "you want to go with me?"

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	19. Party Time

_**Official Supporters:**_

 **SleeplessShippings**

 **Shadie**

 _ **If you want your name on the lists of my stories and videos, head over to P a t. R e . o n and search for the Temple Walkers. Just let us know you're from Fanfiction, alright?**_

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 **Fox Girl:**

 **Twisted ~ You know, you're the second fox girl I know…. Anyways, you have no idea how accurate 'poor Winter' is to my future plans.**

 **Ninja Fang:**

 **Twisted ~ I'm amused by how excited everyone is about Jaune asking Pyr… It's like you lot have never read my stories before.**

 **True Metis:**

 **Twisted ~ Who says that? And also, Ozpin** _ **is**_ **in a position where he sends people into probable death. They're Hunters, they fight giant monsters intent on eating them alive. And as they are the only real force for centuries keeping Grimm at bay, it stands to reason that they would require licenses, extensive training, registration and so on. After all, if Vale proper came under siege, unreliable Hunters could cause hundreds of deaths. Maybe even a Kingdom's collapse.**

 **Bukkake No Jutsu:**

 **Twisted ~ Your name shan't be much use in this story, my friend.**

 **Allard-Liao:**

 **Twisted ~ Yes indeedily. Glad you picked up on that.**

 **Scott Usa:**

 **Twisted ~ Glad to have you back.**

 **Xerzo:**

 **Twisted ~ And welcome back to you as well. I do intend to hopefully get to those at some point and time.**

 **RPG Persona:**

 **Twisted ~ As always, a review that's almost a chapter unto itself…. I love them, don't get me wrong.**

 **Mildly incorrect. The plan as I meant it was to evaluate Jaune, his team, and Ozpin himself. To see a few things.**

 **Yeah, I like writing with militaristic characters. I understand that kind of mindset and lifestyle a hell of a lot more, you know? So Winter and James come almost naturally.**

 **The poison thing was more of a military thing, given how James acted towards Jaune at first. It implies something about James and Winter, which is what I intended.**

 **Yeah… And everyone is so excited about their date, I almost feel bad… They really haven't read my stories, have they?**

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Neo smiled, a melody tittering about in her head as she stalked the short girl in the black uniform, watching her walk Vale's streets by herself, seemingly shopping or just playing the tourist. Her Semblance meant she could emulate anyone, but it was far easier to act the part when pieces matched. This girl had a similar bust as her, and stood around the same height, which meant she wouldn't need platforms or a corset to bind back her chest, always an impairment in fights.

The streets were mostly empty too, this early in the morning, and she was slowly closing on the girl when she turned a corner. Neo followed her and smiled when she saw the girl sitting on a bench in the shade of a building, right next to an alley, and slid a hand into her pocket to thumb a knife. As she approached, she extended her Semblance in a bubble so no one saw either her or the girl for what they were, she looking like an older woman and the girl looking like a young man.

The girl saw her approaching, but missed the knife hidden in her hand's palm, and waved happily. "Hi! Do you live here? I'm kind of lost, and I forgot my Scroll…" Neo nodded, smiling happily, and the girl's own smile widened, her pale face lighting up under the blue hair on top of her head, "Great! Could I bother you for some directions then? I need to get to the Bullhead docks in, like, fifteen minutes."

Neo had to resist the grin she felt trying to form and fished out her Scroll, typing with her left hand quickly and showing it to her. 'Mute, sorry. And I can get you there if you follow me, but you'll need to cut through some alleys to make it. Walking around will take twice the time you have.'

She looked wary for half a second, but Neo smiled kindly at her and she relaxed a bit, standing up and nodding at her, "Alright, lead the way, I guess."

Neo nodded back, walking back the way they'd come for a bit and dipping into a small alleyway that was there. Stepping over the trash and typing on her Scroll, Neo stopped to show it to her companion, 'Don't mind the mess, it's normal, but this way will cut out twenty minutes of street crossing and walking for us.'

"Great! Back at home we don't use the alleys so much, they can be kind of dangerous." Neo raised an eyebrow at the girl and she smiled, shrugging, "I'm a Huntress though, don't worry, I can protect us."

Neo would have laughed if she could, and instead kept leading her down the alleys between the street buildings, stopping when they were across from the Bullhead Docks as she'd promised. Gesturing at it with a friendly smiled, she lifted the Scroll once again, 'See? Plenty of time to spare.'

"Thanks!" The girl chirped, stepping past her and turning around, "My name is Citrine, by the way, if you go to the Vytal Festival. Maybe we'll run into each other? I'd love to introduce you to my sister, Opal."

Neo nodded, smiling wickedly when she turned around. Grabbing her by the neck, she spun her victim around and slammed her head into a wall before she could so much as squeak. This stunned her long enough for Neo to throw her onto her back and mount her, straddling her chest and whipping the knife out. Using a rag on the ground, she blocked the blood from staining the girl's uniform when she slammed the red blade into the girl's neck. Her Aura bypassed and bleeding out like a pig, the girl's terrified eyes quickly rolling back into her head. Standing, Neo checked behind her and dragged the fresh corpse further into the alley. It was time to get changed.

All according to plan...

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"Too slow, kid." Qrow growled, appearing behind him and kicking him in the leg, Jaune grunting and glaring at him in response, "Just because you know I _will_ be there doesn't mean you can react in time." " _And not reacting fast enough could be a death sentence."_

"Then why aren't we doing _speed training_ or something actually useful?" Jaune asked quietly, standing up when Qrow let him go, and turning around as he raised his fists again, "And why can't I use Crocea Mors?"

"Because this is much more fun." Qrow laughed, shrugging and stepping in, swinging at Jaune almost too fast for the blonde to dodge. Certainly too fast for him to _see_ , but that was largely irrelevant thanks to the brat's Semblance, "And besides that, imagine every instance you wouldn't have your sword on you. This is training for that." " _You're training as a spy. Not something to let you carry weapons openly everywhere."_

"Fine… I really don't like it, though, so can we-" Qrow kicked him in the stomach hard enough to throw him into the air, then caught him and tossed him onto a nearby mat with a sigh.

"Fine, guess we can take it easy today, since the dance is coming…." He walked out of the small training room, smiling when he saw the redhead waiting patiently on the floor by the entrance, "Patch him up and take him on to your dorm, kiddo. Have fun tonight."

"I wish you'd be more gentle with him… he's still learning." Pyrrha mumbled, standing and brushing her skirt off.

"His enemies won't, and he has to catch up already." Qrow said with a shrug, fishing in his jacket for his flask absently, "I train survivors, not dead kids, Red. No one is going to be around to protect him, so my job is to make sure he protects himself. Or he dies. Seen that happen a bit too."

"He won't die because you are kind to him." Pyrrha argued hotly, hard green eyes boring into disinterested red ones, "And his team will protect him, should he ever need such a thing."

"Really? Forever? Twenty-four seven?" Qrow asked quietly, frowning in agitation, "Heard that before, too, then my partner was killed because of it. I'll coddle students when I want them dead, and never when I don't. I'm the Huntsman here, and you're just a student. You need to respect that difference, kid."

"Maybe if you weren't a sorry drunkard, I would be inclined to do so, but as yet I have seen nothing in you of a Huntsman's honor or valor." She turned, slamming the door to the training room behind her. Qrow sighed, holding the flask up to the light to examine it sadly.

The small S and R stood out faintly, and he sighed again before taking a drink and walking away. "Kids these days…."

Half an hour later, Jaune and Pyrrha were walking through Beacon's halls, the boy's mood improved by the girl's immensely, "Honestly, Pyr, it's fine. I'm improving, right?"

"Yes, but-"

"Then relax, okay? Me improving is what matters, after all, and that's his job. To help me improve faster." She pouted at him and he smiled back warmly, trying to raise her mood with his, as he knew tended to work on her, "I'm okay, I promise."

"It just… bothers me, I suppose." " _My trainers were never so rough as to leave me lying on the training room floor…."_ "And I feel that he thinks lowly of you as well." She argued quietly, looking at him worriedly and frowning, "He won't even seriously spar with you, even for the sake of training or demonstration."

"That's because he's a veteran, Pyr. A 'serious spar' would probably break my leg or something." She gave him a worried look and he threw an arm around her shoulder, hugging her slightly, "Which he won't do, Pyr. That's why we don't spar normally, except for our hand to hand, even if I complain about it while we do it."

She sighed and smiled at him, leaning into the hug after a second's hesitation before she spoke again, "I'm… looking forward to tonight, Jaune." " _Especially if you spend a lot of the time holding me like this."_ "I think it will be quite... enjoyable, you know?"

"I do." He sighed, giving her a gentle squeeze before letting go and pulling away - much to the redhead's disappointment, he could sense. "I have to go and see Ozpin now, he promised to… to introduce me to Amber, formally, and I don't want to blow her off."

"Oh… I see." He could sense her irritation and a flare of… something he couldn't quite identify - jealousy? - and gave her a small smile.

"Nothing like that, I just… she's been through hell, kind of lives there now, and I'm the only one she can talk to, so.…" he shrugged, sighing quietly, "It's the right thing to do, you know? I have to."

She was quiet for a moment before Jaune felt her mood improve slightly and she sighed, "I… understand, Jaune. You must do what you think is right, and in this I agree with you. If she lives as you say, it is almost a Huntsman's duty to bring some comfort to her." " _Even if I cannot accompany you there…."_

He ignored a sense of conflict there and nodded, smiling and turning away, "I'll see you just before the dance, okay? Ozpin said he wanted to discuss a few things as well, so… I may be a while."

"Just arrive on time, or I shall fetch you myself, Beacon security doors or no. You may tell the Headmaster that much as well." He laughed and she giggled quietly, and he turned a corner, leaving her there.

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Jaune smiled when Ozpin stepped into the elevator, swiping his Scroll across the reader and pressing one of the nondescript buttons with the 'maintenance' label. Jaune raised an eyebrow and Ozpin chuckled, "Everything below that button sends an alert to my Scroll and locks the elevator until I personally unlock it, and surprisingly, spies don't frequent maintenance areas as much as one might think. Too many cameras and too few ways for them to get in, you understand. Especially short on excuses should a security guard catch them, as well."

"But they do that all the time in Spruce Willis movies… I always thought they made sense." Jaune half-argued, eliciting another chuckled from the older gentleman.

"Jaune, if those movies portrayed infiltrators and spies accurately, those people would either kill the directors or alter their approaches." Ozpin smiled warmly at him and sighed when the elevator dinged and came to a stop, the smile vanishing, "This, young man, is Beacon's Vault. And a closely guarded secret as well." " _A janitor was once jailed for coming down here, thanks to James' lack of trust."_

"That's, uh, cool…" Jaune said, only half listening as he looked around, "Where's Amber at?"

"The very back." Ozpin said simply, walking past him and leading the way, "Nearest the elevator, we keep dangerous weapons locked away, as well as documents and the like. After that we keep servers and, on rare occasions, prisoners that can't be trusted to be placed in Vale's care and that James doesn't convince me to give over to his… interrogators." " _Torturers, frankly…."_

"So this is… a big deal. Me being let in here, I mean." Jaune said quietly, almost reverently, looking around at the walls dimly lit by what looked like torches. He could see rooms filled with computers, cells, and more leading off of them into hallways with lights and torches glowing from more unseen rooms, "It's... huge."

"Indeed. A Huntsman's Academy is home to trained warriors around the clock, Jaune. No one is sacking it before whatever Kingdom it calls home can respond - without significant effort and loss of assets, that is." Ozpin said solemnly, shaking his head, "The Grimm are among the only force that could accomplish such a task and not mind the lost fighting force, and they are on the other side of a rather large wall, for the most part." " _Aside from the forest near Beacon, but it can't sustain enough Grimm for the task."_

"So the only real way to get down here is by accident, or with an army…. That's effective, I guess." Jaune said, making Ozpin sigh almost tiredly.

"There's only one of those accidents, and his name was Adam… He's still locked up in Atlas, I believe. Private cell, though, so not all is bad." Ozpin stopped, turning to look at Jaune in front of what look like a huge cylinder, "Amber is in here, I'll… lower it, so you can see her." " _Though the sight is rather rough…."_

Jaune nodded, and the old man leaned his cane against a terminal while he entered commands, the large cylinder lowering after a few seconds and letting Jaune look in. The woman inside was tanned rather heavily, making him guess she came from Vacuo, and dressed only in plain underwear. Scars crisscrossed her body, obviously from old fights and the wounds those brought. Her hair was brown and cut short at the shoulders, and her eyes stayed closed. He grimaced at the jagged white scars on her face. They were like fingers had seared the flesh painfully.

Standing there beside her, he could feel the pain radiating out from her and laid a hand on the glass, "She's in pain, you know, Ozpin."

The man turned to him, grimacing slightly, "I… did not know that." " _Though Tsune had theorized it to be possible…."_ "That said, before you have your talk with her, we need to discuss some things. About her, and the Maidens in general."

The woman's eyes opened slightly, turning to him, and he sighed, "Fine, I guess…. What do you want to talk about?"

"Your…." He sighed, taking a breath and straightening, "We have been actively looking for someone to attempt a transfer of the Maiden's power with. Because of your joining our group, it… makes the most sense to offer it to Miss Nikos first, and see if she would be willing to risk the procedure."

"Risk it?" Jaune asked quietly, raising his head and giving the man a suspicious glare, reading his thoughts faster than he could speak, "You mean risk losing everything about herself, right?"

"I… yes, as I was going to explain, we fear that is a possible outcome." Ozpin said quietly, "And Amber's death is likely, of course, given the nature of the procedure. But whoever struck her down like this stole part of the Maiden's power, and if we don't force it elsewhere before Amber… expires on her own, it will likely go to someone more than willing to use it to the detriment of the entire planet."

"And you… want me to help you convince her?" Jaune asked quietly, sighing and looking at Amber, the girl shifting in her semi-conscious state, "You want my help to convince my partner to… to risk a fate worse than death? All to secure a power that will get her killed at some point anyways?"

"Yes." Ozpin said quietly, turning to look at Amber as well, "Because that is what I have to ask you to do for the good of the rest of Humanity and Faunus alike. Because without this power, many lives could be lost. And if it is used against people… even more lives would, not simply _could_ , be lost."

"I just…. Why her?" Jaune asked quietly, leaning on the glass pod with his hand, looking at the dying woman, "Why ask _her_?"

"Because Glynda is too old, frankly, to learn everything she'd need and adapt to the power? Because Miss Nikos is a good, kind hearted, and dutiful young woman who would happily defend people?" Ozpin sighed, smiling at the blonde grimly, "And because she'd be useful and easier to convince thanks to your joining us, frankly."

"I won't help you… that would be manipulative." Jaune said simply, looking at Ozpin evenly, "I won't stop you from asking her yourself, but… it needs to be her choice. If I ask, she'll agree for that reason alone, even if she hates the idea. If you can convince her yourself, though… I'm fine with that. I'll back you on it."

"Jaune, if she says no-"

"Then you'll ask someone else. I'm sure there are other people you've considered for this, Ozpin." Pictures flashed through his mind rapidly. Ruby, Yang, Weiss, and Nora were among them, and Jaune grimaced, "Do what you have to, Ozpin, but do it right… I won't help you manipulate anyone though, not into this."

Ozpin sighed, smiling tiredly at him, "I suppose you have a right to make that demand, in the end." He turned, walking away calmly, and Jaune only turned his back when the man was gone, not out of distrust, but irritation. He'd known Ozpin was fine with his decision, or at least not angry with him, thanks to his ability.

Closing his eyes, it only took him a second to find Amber's consciousness again, even if it had been some time since they'd last spoke, " _Jaune?"_

"Yeah." He said quietly, smiling sadly and grunting when the wave of her pain slammed into him as always, "I'm sorry I've been away for so long, Amber… I came to visit you in person, though."

" _How? I'm in the Vault, right?"_ She sounded, and felt, surprised at the news, " _I thought I heard you talking, but… I didn't think they'd let you in here."_

"Yeah… Ozpin, uh, found out about my Semblance and sort of recruited me. He agreed to let me down here, to see you." Jaune said quietly, smiling even though he knew she couldn't see him, "They… he said they didn't know you were in so much pain. I could ask for him to give you more for it, if you want."

" _Please do, it would… it would help a lot, Jaune. Thank you."_ He smiled and felt her relief washing over him, " _I must have missed so much, though, what have you been doing all this time?"_

So he started filling her in on everything she'd missed, and she was happy enough just to have the company.

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Pyrrha sighed, standing outside the elevator's door in her dress, waiting on Jaune. He wasn't late yet, of course, she simply... decided to be earlier at meeting up with him than normal. She wanted to make sure he got ready for the dance instead of showing up in anything other than the suit he'd bought.

She felt a hand tap her shoulder and turned, looking down slightly a shorter girl in a black dress with blue hair, smiling at her warmly, "Oh, hello. Did you need something?"

The girl pulled out her Scroll, typing for a second and holding it up, "Yes, please, I was wondering if you could help me find the ballroom. I can't find it."

"Yes, of course. It's down the hall you came from, turn right, then follow it and make a left…." The girl looked confused and Pyrrha sighed, pushing off from the wall, "Alright, I understand it's a lot to absorb. How about I just show you instead?"

She nodded brightly, holding up her Scroll after a second, "Thank you! I'm Citrine, by the way. Who are you?"

"I'm Pyrrha Nikos." She said, smiling slightly when the girl didn't react, and stepping past her to lead the way, "Just follow me, Citrine, and we'll be there in no time at all."

'Citrine' grinned, following the girl and raising her Scroll, looking at the file Cinder had sent to her. The 'P' in JNPR…. A good catch indeed, even if everything else fell flat tonight.

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Emerald grunted lightly as she let her Semblance fade, wiping her bloodied blade on a cloth and watching Mercury drag the body into the bushes. Imperfect, yes, and the cameras would have them if anyone looked - though thanks to Neo that wouldn't happen for a few hours yet - but they only needed it to work for tonight, and they'd be gone.

"Got the last grenades we needed." Mercury said boredly, standing up and holding the small disks up, "You want to plant them, or should I?"

Emerald rolled her eyes at him and sighed, "I killed the soldiers, you plant the bombs. That was the plan, so _do it_." He huffed and marched off, tucking the grenades into a bag with a dozen or so more.

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 **Twisted ~ Done! And in fairness, older fans would have known I didn't do happy fun times that easily. Also, thanks again to my editor, Mine.**


	20. A Blast of an Evening

_**Official Supporters:**_

 **SleeplessShippings**

 **Shadie**

 _ **If you want your name on the lists of my stories and videos, head over to P a t. R e . o n and search for the Temple Walkers. Just let us know you're from Fanfiction, alright?**_

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 **Ninja Fang:**

 **Twisted ~ Thanks! Glad you enjoyed it. I always say how much I appreciate even just the basic reviews like this one. Makes me happy.**

 **Vail Ryuketsu:**

 **Twisted ~ I have heard Amber Knight and Brass Knight for that ship, in a few circles. Personally, I prefer Brass Knight, as Amber Knight feels a bit too… Forced, I guess? I dunno.**

 **Le Mao:**

 **Twisted ~ That… is an interesting piece of fiction suggestion right there… Huh. Shelf that one, I may just put that in my next Supporter Poll. Anyways, yeah, I don't think anyone saw this going well if they knew me at all.**

 **Xerzo Lot:**

 **Twisted ~ Gonna be a bomb bad evening, I tell you waht.**

 **Mo Eazy:**

 **Twisted ~ Think less spy and more… special security agent, of a sort. He's useful as a spy in a general sense because he could just walk past, say, Tyrian and gain information in a place where the man may not be able to stop him.**

 **Citrine Mourning Guest:**

 **Twisted ~ Overconfidence in one's abilities is a slow and insidious killer, my friend.**

 **Lloyd RPG Fan:**

 **Twisted ~ Sorry mate, I work at the pace I can, but I still have to work to eat and run the channel on YT.**

 **Scott USA 1:**

 **Twisted ~ Thanks!**

 **RPG Persona:**

 **Twisted ~ So, like, do you write reviews for a living or something? Or are you just a fan? I'm curious is all. I love the reviews though. Anyways~ I doubt Citrine will be worrying about anything at all, ever again, in fairness… Pyrrha wants the D, so yeah, bias is inherent in this equation to an extreme. Such is life, though.**

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General James Ironwood was no fool, even if his so-called friends seemed to think it often enough. He didn't need that boy's Semblance to tell him that, he could see it every time Glynda looked at him... But he wasn't one, in the end, and he knew to follow his gut, especially with new and potentially hostile people.

And that's why he was so uneasy, reading the report one of his agents had given him. A Huntress - one in training based on her corpse's Aura levels and her apparent age, yes, but still a Huntress - with her throat slit in an alley, stripped to her underwear and left to lie, her hair burnt off presumably to hide her identity.

Her Aura should have prevented an attack like that, likely why she'd gone into the alley at all, its presence on her body even as it atrophied attested to _what_ she was, but he'd had her dental records run anyways.

A visiting Huntress-in-training, here for the Vytal Festival, and dead before her Aura could react. It screamed of an assassin, but who would go out of their way to kill one random girl? And how did they ignore her Aura entirely? Something was wrong here… and James had no idea what.

But he had an idea who might be at the center of it, and what that might mean for what he'd been charged to protect. He turned to the sergeant abruptly, the slightly smaller man flinching under the old General's withering look, "Get me transport to Beacon Academy immediately, and have the fleet move to a level one alert status."

"Yes, sir!" The Atlesian snapped off, saluting crisply and marching away to do as told. James truly did prefer it when people just… listened to him.

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Neo grinned as the redhead slumped against the wall, eyes glaring at her as much in fear as anger, and she held up the small red needle for second and showed her her Scroll, 'Special metal from Vacuo, pierces Aura. Great for someone like me, I like my playmates alive.'

She saw the girl's frightened expression, and slid the needle back into a protective case on her Scroll, tossing the larger girl over her shoulder and carrying her into a nearby classroom to wait, and maybe have a little fun….

Why stage photos to bait the trap when it would be far more entertaining to do it herself?

It took a second to get the girl into the chair, the limp body heavy in her hands, but Neo was more than used to the challenge of moving people larger than her. She tied her arms behind her, secured to the back of the chair and wrapping under the seat, effectively hog tying her to the wood, and leaned her up, so she was staring at the ceiling.

Neo didn't have much time before the drug started wearing off, nothing could get rid of the problem Aura posed there unfortunately, so she quickly gagged the girl and looked over her work, contemplating how to take the pictures.

Smiling, she stepped forward and ripped open the dress, leaving the bra, and fished out her knife. Slicing into the paralyzed woman's chest with it, Neo carved the room number in and stepped back, taking the pictures she needed.

Much more fun than just sending the room number along with the message. She sent the same picture to Cinder, her way of reporting her progress to the overbearing woman, and in exchange received a message with a picture of Roman, safe and sound and organizing crates with a bored expression.

Then she sent a message to her two 'allies' telling them to blow their top.

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Jaune once again checked his reflection, nervously fiddling with his rent-a-suit and grimacing, Nora watching his back with an amused expression, an eyebrow raised at his back, "You look fiiiiine, Jauney." " _Never thought I'd have to convince a guy he looked alright…."_ "Besides, Pyr isn't gonna be all that worried about how you look."

"I doubt she'll care either." Ren added, leaning against the wall, "She isn't the type to worry about an outfit, I feel." " _Except for taking it off you, I'd wager."_ "You just need to relax, and have a good night."

"I know." He said quietly, smiling sadly at just how he knew that for a second and turning to hide the blush at the other man's thoughts, "I just… this is supposed to be a good night for her, you know? She's got so much on her shoulders, so I…."

"You don't want to mess it up." Nora finished for him, smiling at him warmly before tilting her head to the side and letting the grin grow more manic, exposing far too many teeth to be seen by a normal man as friendly, "And you won't. Trust me, I'll break your legs if you do." " _She wouldn't have said yes to going out if she didn't know you enough to not care about an outfit."_

"What she means is that we all know you'll do fine." " _Not that he fetish for breaking legs is of little concern."_ Ren said quickly, shaking his head at the girl for a second before sighing and looking at him, "Just have fun, alright? She will too." " _And for Oum's sake, remember to put a sock on the handle if you leave early."_

Jaune opened his mouth to say something when they felt the building shake, the lights flickering slightly and the trio grabbing onto beds and dressers to stay standing, and Jaune felt his Scroll go off. Before he looked at it, he looked at the other two, "Go, find out what that was, see if you need to help. I'll find Pyrrha and come after you." " _And then report to Ozpin, I guess…."_

The duo left, running out the door and to the side towards the training room where Miss Goodwitch held her classes - and where their arms and armor would be. Jaune was just glad they didn't question his orders when he gave them anymore, and he went out the door himself, flicking open his Scroll to send Pyrrha a message.

And froze, staring at the picture he'd received of Pyrrha, numbers carved into her stomach and tied to a chair. Along with it read a message not to come with any help at all, or the girl would be dead before they could do anything. Growling loudly, he turned and started to walk towards the classroom, pushing past students and reaching past their panic, curiosity, and worry to find a familiar pain, echoing from far below him.

" _Jaune?"_ Amber started quietly, her voice weaker than normal telling him she'd been asleep and he'd woken her.

'Yeah. Is Ozpin there?' He asked quietly, hoping she'd be able to manage his request.

" _No. He spoke with a doctor down here and left. He said I would be getting better medication soon."_ Jaune smiled, even if he was upset by the news as well. He hadn't thought the old man would get going on it so fast, especially after he'd refused him before.

'Alright, I'm glad you got some help, Amber.' He said quietly, shaking his head and taking a turn down the last hallway before he would reach his destination, sensing Pyrrha's presence in the room that the picture had indicated, 'I have to go, okay?'

" _Be safe."_ She said quietly as the connection receded.

Jaune sent a quick message to Nora with the room number and an order to tell Glynda, Ozpin, or Qrow to go there, and turned it off just as he was pushing the door open. Inside, Pyrrha was tied to the chair, and turned to him groggily, her eyes widening when she recognized him. The small girl sitting on the desk beside her hopped down and he flinched slightly when she smiled and put an arm around Pyrrha, holding her Scroll out to him with one hand and pressing the knife to the redhead with the other.

He took a step towards her, enough to read the device's display, "Glad you could make it, blondie, we need to have a conversation." " _Was beginning to think I should just kill her and come get you the fun way."_

"About?" He asked shortly, looking at Pyrrha worriedly, noting that her wounds had already healed from the picture. So her Aura was still active, but how had she been captured then?

The diminutive girl thumped him on the head, shoving the device at him again. "About the fact that as of today, you're coming with me and joining up with us." it said, the girl taking it back to type some more - digging the knife into Pyrrha's throat when he apparently spoke out of turn - before showing it to him again, "My boss's boss wants you on her side, and my boss and I want you on _our side,_ so you get the honor of becoming my first ever minion." " _And don't interrupt, or I kill the bloody red-haired girl… Shame to waste a body like that though."_

"Why would I even consider doing that?" He hissed, taking a step forward and trying to get a read on the girl's thoughts, anger flickering across him at her thoughts, trying to figure out what she actually wanted. She tapped the knife against Pyrrha's throat again, the girl starting to come to and glaring at her arm weakly, her normally bright eyes dull, almost greyed out, just barely visible over her chin before those same eyes fell on Jaune.

" _Jaune, my semblance isn't working, I can't do anything yet."_ She 'said' quickly, calming ever so mildly when he nodded at her slightly, " _Just… stall for a while, and I can help. She has weapons that pierce Aura, so be careful. She got me with a needle, so watch for that in particular."_

"Because not doing what I say means I'll just have to give the redhead here a permanent smile." She looked at Pyrrha's torn dress and heaving chest almost appreciatively, with a note of envy in her eye and typed more to the message, "And a breast reduction too, while I'm working on her."

"And you think I'll just stand here and let you?" He asked dryly, gesturing at the door to the empty, dusty classroom with a wave, "There are probably people walking around right now, all I really need to do is yell and tackle you."

She grinned widely, only taking a second to type, "Then try it." " _I'll slit her throat and drug you, take you to Roman by force. Harder, but fun enough for me."_ She waited a few seconds before rolling her eyes and giggling mutely, showing him the Scroll a second later, "That's what I figured. Now, we can leave right now, or you can play tough guy and go for help while I play with your friend. Pick one."

He grimaced quietly, looking at Pyrrha as she looked between the two of them, clearly confused without being able to read the Scroll, and the girl pressed the knife into her skin after a second, drawing blood.

"Fine." He snapped, irritated, and sighed, "I'll go with you, alright? But we have to head by the armory first, get my-" She pointed behind him, and Jaune turned, looking at a small box about three feet wide in every direction. Opening it, he blinked when he saw his armor and Crocea Mors before turning to the girl. "How did you-" He stopped when she dug the knife in a little more, Pyrrha pulling away from it futilely as another thin line of red traced down from her throat and across her chest, and raised his hands in surrender, "Hey, hey! Just… let me get my armor on, and we'll go, okay?"

She nodded, fishing out a red tipped needle and stabbing Pyrrha's neck before she could react, holding up her Scroll when he grabbed his blade and stood, "Just something to knock her out for a while, same way I got her here."

Pyrrha's green eyes fluttered and he closed his eyes, nodding and turning around to start strapping his armor on. It only took a few minutes, and to his disappointment no one showed up to help him. Finally he stood, refusing to look at her, "I'm ready."

She hopped off the desk and grabbed his hand as she leaned against his shoulder, pressing her head against him almost affectionately, "Hey, what are you-" he felt a needle press against his skin and sighed, "Got it."

He didn't need to read minds to get _that_ hint.

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Winter flicked her rapier, ice flowing out to block some of the fire that had been spreading, and addressed one of the Atlesian droids, "Get more of the retardant out here and smother this damn fire!"

Multiple bombs had detonated just outside the dance hall, causing all the balconies to collapse, and igniting the lower floor. Four people had been confirmed dead from having been on the balconies and blown up, then fallen a dozen or more feet into jagged rubble, and finally burned. She sincerely hoped the bomb or the fall had killed them. The robot obeyed quickly, turning and jogging away stiffly while another ten sprayed the white foam onto the fire, Beacon students and staff standing back and watching from a safe distance while the machines stood against the blaze heedless of the heat from it. She sincerely wished for more Ice Dust, but she hadn't packed for a combat deployment.

Part of the structure fell in on itself, throwing embers into the night air, and she swore, grabbing a droid's arm, "Go into the building and stop the spread of the fire, by whatever means you can!"

"Miss Schnee, what happened here?" She turned to Professor Goodwitch, the woman flicking her riding crop to lift debris and use it to smother some of the fire, as the older blonder stalked towards her with a furious expression, "What exploded?"

"We're unsure about what detonated, ma'am, but we suspect terrorists. At least officially we're unsure, rather." She gestured behind her, a dead soldier lying on the ground where the explosion had tossed him, "Slit throat, and he's missing his grenades, so unofficially, I'd put my bets there. And the method here is similar to a string of attacks in Atlas a while back, which confirms my suspicions further."

"The White Fang?" She asked, the Schnee nodding in answer, "Dust damn it!" Goodwitch snarled, turning to the fire and then back to her after a few seconds of thought, "Find Jaune, Winter. I'll coordinate with your blasted machines and try to get the fires under control, but I have very little doubt that he is the target of this."

"Arc? A target? Ludicrous, and surely you have better things for an officer of the Atlesian-"

"Go, Winter. Now, please, I can't explain the importance of you locating him. If he is missing…" She shook her head, glaring hotly at her, "If he is missing, contact James and arrange a search for him immediately. Prioritize it over anything short of a breach in the Wall of Vale, you understand?"

"Why?" Winter asked quietly, shaking her head in confusion, "There's been a terror attack, they have better things for the Atlesian Armada to do than look for one lost boy, if he even is actually missing."

"Because your ally has asked you to. Officially, at least. Unofficially…. I suppose if you recover him, I can coerce James into letting you know why we needed you to." Goodwitch snapped, turning and making it clear that the conversation was over entirely. Winter sighed, turning and walking away.

She hated civilians most days.

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"There you are, about damn time." Emerald muttered, watching Neo walk up to the small cargo craft they'd 'borrowed' with a blonde man, probably the 'package' they'd been ordered to collect. "Everything go alright?" The blonde glared at her for a second like he wanted to say something, before he shook his head and shoved past her roughly, his armor clinking slightly as he moved, "Who shit in his cereal?"

Neo shrugged, walking past the green haired woman and sitting next to the boy on the small craft, Emerald closing the door behind them and watching out the back while Mercury lifted the craft, yelling back at them from the raised cockpit, "You sure we should leave without Cinder?"

"For the last time, she said she had things handled and we needed to do this." She snapped, shaking her green head and sighing, "If you could just do your job once without whining, that'd be just great."

"What? Can't hear you!" Mercury yelled back, almost certainly a true statement.

"That's good, because I was _whispering!_ " She snapped back, plopping into a seat and looking the blonde up and down, "So your sword turn into a shotgun or something?" He glared at her for a second then ignored her, and she rolled her eyes before relaxing into her seat, "Fine, be that way, dickhead."

"What?" Mercury called back again.

"Not yo, the other dickhead!" She snapped, watching the mute leaning against him giggle mutely, "And you shut up, or I'll have Cinder cauterize Roman's cock."

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Cinder smiled to herself, sliding her glasse blade across the guard's throat and letting him collapse, white armor stained a pale pink and ground turning red around him. She looked around her, a half dozen more corpses arrayed around the communications room, and then out the window at the blaze.

She had instructed her pets to cause a diversion, and while _bombing Beacon_ wasn't quite what she meant, she had to applaud their success. Hearing her Scroll chime and fishing it out of her costume's chest, she smiled and checked the picture. A self-taken photo of Neo, leaning on a very angry looking blonde's chest. She wasn't quite sure, or concerned, with why her mistress had become so obsessed with the boy lately. But she had him, and that was certain to draw a metric tonne of jealousy and ire from Watts, the stubborn, conceited bastard.

Standing, she left the communications tower, stepping over the two unconscious guards in the atrium and heading away from Beacon, into the forest. The Grimm wouldn't be a challenge for her, really.

No one was. Not for a very, very long time.

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 **Twisted ~ Well, as always, I hope you enjoyed the chapter, and thanks to Mine as always for the editing and support work, he's Dustsent I swear it. Anyways, extra two chapters this week - For Crashing the Party and Mind Games, each getting one - thanks to Sleepless and Shadie for the donations that enabled it. If you desire more, faster, head on over to the Temple Walkers Youtube and from there you can support us and see more, more often, and more of what you want.**


	21. Locked Down

**Twisted ~ Quick Note: My Internet was down for five days, apologies for the delays. I couldn't afford to pay it for a small time. Sorry. As an apology, I made this chapter take up what I intended to be two chapters, condensed ever so slightly.**

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 _ **Official Supporters:**_

 **SleeplessShippings**

 **Shadie**

 _ **If you want your name on the lists of my stories and videos, head over to P a t. R e . o n and search for the Temple Walkers. Just let us know you're from Fanfiction, alright?**_

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 **Shadoki:**

 **Twisted ~ Thanks.**

 **Xerzo:**

 **Twisted ~ Eh, she was in a school, Neo had a uniform, it makes sense. I would have trusted her too, at least to show her how to get to somewhere.**

 **Vanitas:**

 **Twisted ~ Whoa there killer, ease up. XD Sorry for the wait.**

 **Ninja Fang:**

 **Twisted ~ Thanks!**

 **RPG:**

 **Twisted ~ So what you're saying, is that overconfidence is a slow and insidious killer?**

 **But yeah, I figured that Atlas's units ought to be running patrols, probably in unison with Vale police forces and the like. Made sense to me. And as I tend to make Neo more 'normal', I opted not to on this one. Figured the change would be nice for me.**

 **Glad you're enjoying, though.**

 **Scott USA:**

 **Twisted ~ Nope, probably not. XD**

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Jaune felt the airship land, trembling slightly as metal met solid ground once more and eased into the full landing. Jaune's off hand gripped the handle of Crocea Mors at his waist, but Neo saw it and poked him with the needle slightly, pushing him to try and tell him to stand up. He did, taking two steps towards the lowering back door, the two he didn't know watching him closely, Neo behind him like a guard.

" _Too bad you showed up when you did, me and Red were going to have fun."_ He paused on the third step, hand tightening on the hilt hard enough that his knuckles ached and his arm trembled slightly, looking over his shoulder at the smaller woman for a second. She raised her eyebrow and he could sense her confusion, he turned around and glared at the other two instead.

"So, where are we?" He asked quietly, taking a couple steps towards the door before they blocked him. He could glimpse dirt at the bottom of the platform, and the bases of trees as the ground slope upwards, "The forest?"

"Yeah, we're in the trees. Good eyes, dumbass." The silver one drawled, eyeing him for a second, "Em, can you handle his mind? Do your thing on him? Cinder said he was dangerous, after all." " _And if she thinks anyone is dangerous…."_

She rolled her eyes and he felt… something, his vision swimming for a moment before he grunted, his vision flickering between looking at himself and the girl for a few seconds. He took a breath and shook his head, his Aura surging around him protectively. and his vision returned to normal. The green haired girl groaned and sank against the wall for a second before recovering, glaring at him in confusion while both their heads ached, Jaune reaching up to rub at his forehead as his Aura went to work on it.

"He… resisted it. How did you resist it? That shouldn't even be possible! No one can resist my Semblance!" She almost snarled, grabbing one of her sickle-like weapons from her hip and threatening him with it, fear and anger rolling off her in waves that made him wonder genuinely why they weren't being swarmed by Grimm. "How the hell did you do that?"

He reached across himself for Crocea Mors when he felt something cold against his neck, turning his head to look at the grinning midget, the same red blade as earlier pressed against his neck while another hand held her Scroll, "Right over your artery, blondie, a flick of my wrist and you bleed out on the floor." " _Even if that's not the fun way to end the night for us, I'm still game."_

He let go of his sword, making a show of raising the empty hand and looking at 'Em', when another woman spoke, "He's a mind reader, dear Emerald. It was probably a sort of feedback, given how I believe your own abilities work." The woman walking up the ramp smiled at him almost pleasantly, if not for the blood on her black, skintight suit's chest and arms. She caught him looking at it, amusement sparking off of her, "Don't worry, Jaune, I won't hurt you. My mistress would have my head if I did. And my subordinates as well, which is why you are going to put away the knife, Neopolitan." " _Unless you want to fight all four of us, of course."_ "I'm sure Jaune would help us handle you and Roman for self preservation reasons, if nothing else."

" _Bitch."_ He heard Neo snarl in her mind, the cold metal leaving his throat immediately. The woman only had to look at Emerald, as the newest woman had called her, for her to do the same, looking sheepish. Almost like a chastised child, in a good many ways, and Jaune got the feeling that the sense of dread he was feeling might not be entirely his own, though he couldn't quite guess why she would be dreading him.

Jaune ignored it, instead looking at the woman as she cocked a hip and smiled at him, "You know my name?"

"Oh, I know quite a lot about you, Jaune." She almost purred, stepping into the airship and running a hand down his armored chest, amusement rolling off her when he blushed slightly, "For instance, I know where you're from. I know your father is a professional Huntsmen, and has to head out on hunts to feed his rather large family, so waiting until he leaves them is… easy, if we want to send a message." " _Or make you obey, if it comes to that."_

He glared at her and she chuckled lightly, "Oh, don't be like that, Jaune. If you behave, my mistress will surely be willing to… accept them, I suppose, if they surrender." She pushed past him, taking a seat in the back corner, turning so she could look at him and making a show of crossing her legs, "And don't bother trying to read my mind, I know how to keep my thoughts empty enough for you to glean little."

He hesitated for a second before sighing, plopping into a seat and glaring at the diminutive girl that sat next to him, "Why'd you even bother having me get up? I thought we were going somewhere."

"I thought it would be funny, and it was." She said by way of her Scroll, grinning from ear to ear, "Was also hoping you'd start something with Queen Bitch so I could stab someone. Unless you stabbed her. Then I'd probably kiss you." " _Maybe more, for killing that bitch and getting me and Roman out from under her."_

He almost raised an eyebrow, the door raising behind him and sealing again as the other two returned to their spots, Emerald pouting while the silver haired one returned to the pilot's seat, but managed to catch it just in time before he felt anything from Cinder, "Probably not up for the last part, I have a feeling I die in the end." He said, tapping his head, "And I'm psychic, you don't have to type. I can hear your thoughts, I just have to focus for anything meaningful."

"Honey, you don't want to go anywhere near my mind." Neo typed again, giggling silently, "Unless you want to take a look, see what I mean." " _Might drive you nuts though~ Could be fun~"_

He almost questioned her, before Cinder interrupted, "I can't tell if you're enjoying this situation, or prodding for information. Allow me to help you." She chuckled dryly, gesturing at Neo, "She and Torchwick do as I say, or I kill Roman and let Neo wander without him. Emerald is my… pet, I suppose, and Mercury is my leg man, so to speak. He does the dirty work when I don't desire to." " _Assuming he's even able to do the job, sometimes."_

"And as to why I would tell you all this?" She raised a hand, flicking some hair over her shoulder, and sighed, "My Mistress demands your loyalty, and from what we have learned from our digging into your past, honesty achieves that. At least to get some modicum of trust from you."

"Ah, yes, trust." He said sarcastically, feeding off the woman's confident aura to keep his nerves; and his stomach, since the airship had already risen into the sky to head wherever they were going now, "That's why your friend here cut Pyrrha, I guess? Trust and friendship, that's what that was about?"

"Pyrrha? Oh, Nikos. Your partner." Cinder dismissed, shrugging lightly, "I said to get you here, not how to do it. I did, however, say to avoid hurting your friends if possible. She's alive, I assume, because of that reason, and at Beacon for the same. Nikos is strong, I am sure, she will be fine. Assuming you and I stay… friendly, at least."

Jaune sighed, letting his head thud against the ship's hull lightly, "By which I guess you mean 'do what you want', right?"

"Not necessarily." She answered quickly, the blonde looking at her in surprise, "Staying out of our way is more than enough, truly. However, if you were willing to join us, you'd be amply rewarded. Anything you could desire. Anyone, too, if that strikes your fancy." " _You are, after all, a teenage boy. I'm sure young Emerald would leap, naked or not, if I demanded it."_

"I- You can't give me Emerald! She's her own person!" He raised his hands, waving them around in exasperation.

"W-What?" Emerald asked quietly, looking at Cinder in concern, radiating an odd combination of suspicion, embarrassment and... Excitement? Because it would benefit Cinder, maybe? Jaune couldn't tell, really. "G-Give me to him?"

He felt Neo giggling next to him, and Cinder smiled too, though both were unsettling in different ways, "I meant that I would have you sleep with him if he agreed to join us, Emerald. Having such powers as his on hand, I'd even offer myself if he asked me to. The ability to read the very minds of our enemies is invaluable, far more so than either of our bodies." She raised a thin eyebrow, resting her chin in her palm, "Or are you saying you wouldn't be willing to help me?" " _Watch me, Jaune, this is how you manipulate her. In case you take me up on my offer, it would be useful to make her obey your wishes."_

"I'm not…. Buying Emerald!" Jaune snapped, shaking his head and looking at the green haired woman, "I'm not going to do that, even if you're evil. I'm not a bad person."

"Then we'll abandon that topic." Cinder said with a shrug, completely uncaring about it. "How about money, then? I can get you enough Lien to make you richer than even the Schnees, if you help us." " _All we need is time."_

"I didn't become a Huntsman for money." Jaune defended bluntly, shrugging right back at her, "I did it to protect people from the Grimm- and from other people, I guess, now that I know people like you exist."

"I see. You… you wish to protect the innocent, be a hero, all that?" Cinder asked, to which he nodded anxiously, "Then I have a proposition you would almost certainly appreciate. Do as we need, help us, and in exchange we will limit casualties wherever possible. Surrenders, treating the wounded, etcetera. Deny us? And every man, woman and child we don't need will suffer and die. Far too many for you to protect classically, leaving only the one option." " _Serve us and save people, or deny us and kill them."_

That, at least, gave Jaune pause as the ship tilted and Mercury spoke, "Coming in for a landing, ma'am. Roman radioed in and said he'd meet you as soon as he could."

When they finally disembarked, Neo unlatched herself from his arm and ran to Roman, slamming into him with a hug and radiating relief and comfort, almost enough to make Jaune feel happy for her. Roman barely budged when she hit him, rubbing her stomach against him and sighing contentedly, and Roman started rubbing her head comfortingly, "Cinder. I see you have a particularly gangly guest. He the one you were after?" " _I suppose this is what she needed Neo for."_

"Yes. All went according to plan, thanks to your little… friend." She sighed, feigning disgust at them, though Jaune could sense she didn't truly care. "She did exemplary work, and your plan for the distraction both our other operations needed was more than adequate, with some minor changes." " _Or as good as, admittedly."_

"Minus the part where the 'drones' were Atlesian soldiers…." Mercury mumbled from behind him, disatisfaction radiating off him, "Wish you'd known about that." " _Not that it mattered, really."_

"Glad to hear it." " _Unappreciative bitch."_ He gave a theatrical bow, and Jaune could sense them both grow more agitated for it, before looking at him again, "So, what should we do with, uh, 'Jaune', here? It is Jaune, right?"

"It is, and he needs a place to… stay, for a time. Until I can make certain travel arrangements for him, and so he may have some time to think." She gave him a once over, "He has decisions to make, after all." " _It isn't too late, Emerald is right there~"_

"I already said no, damn it." Jaune said angrily, the woman chuckling lowly. Irritated, he stepped past her and looked at Roman, grimacing slightly, "Just… show me where I'll be staying? Please?"

"Wow, manners! It's been so long since I had someone ask me nicely to do-"

"Roman, shut up and do as I told you." Cinder interrupted dryly, placing a hand on Jaune's shoulder, "And you… If you deny me, nothing may happen. My Mistress, though? Deny her, and the first deaths will be your team." " _Starting with Nikos, of course."_

Jaune shook her hand off, following behind Roman and Neo, the small woman latched onto the criminal's arm like a tick. They walked for a while, Jaune ignoring the - literally, for him - palpable hate from the Fang Grunts they passed before Roman finally spoke up, "So, kid, how are you doing? They didn't-"

"Get to the point, please." Jaune interrupted shortly, taking a couple long strides to stand next to him, "If you're going to try and get me to help you get away from Cinder, I can talk to Ozpin and-"

"I can't escape Cinder, dumbass." Roman interrupted, chuckling lightly, "I'm going to die if I try, and die eventually for her anyways." He shook his head, letting his voice drop, "But… I can get a message out, to Ozpin even, probably. If you promise me one favor." " _Hedging my bets like a real pro…"_

He felt Neo suddenly grow upset and anxious, tightening her grip on his arm, and Jaune sighed, "What do you want?"

"Help Neo get away, if she needs it." He asked quietly, reaching over with his off hand to rub her head some more in a calming gesture, "If you guys don't want to stick together, I'll… I'll understand, I guess." " _Just don't let her get killed."_

"I'll... " He sighed, an image of Pyrrha's carved chest popping into his mind before he shook it away, "I'll try, I guess."

Roman sighed and nodding, stopping at a door, "Well, here we are. Catering is nonexistent, the water is probably filthy, and the bed is a mat on a bunch of boxes." He clapped loudly, smiling at him, "Five star White Fang hospitality, nothing beats it." " _Except prison, probably..."_

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Winter kicked open the door, four Atlesian soldiers storming into the room and clearing it, and Winter almost flinched. Pyrrha, Jaune's partner, was tied to a chair and barely conscious, a syringe on the floor at her feet with a red tip, "Sergeant, call for a medical team, and get me a line to General Ironwood."

"Yes ma'am." The slightly older man said quickly, lowering his rifle and stepping towards her, "Should I report that the priority subject is missing, ma'am?"

"Yes." She sighed, stepping forward and yanking her dagger out of her blade's base, starting to cut the cords holding the young Huntress-in-training, "Get a message to Headmistress Goodwitch about it, after you get me a medical team and contact the General. Inform the medical team to bring a tox-kit as well and some stimulants for her Aura."

"Yes ma'am." He said again, turning to his men, "You two, stay with specialist Schnee. You, come with me, whoever did this could be here still. All of you stay on guard."

"Yes sir." They all echoed, one of the two order to stay moving to the window as a lookout, while the other followed the two men out the door, standing guard outside.

"You'll be alright, young lady." Winter said quietly, gently laying the likely poisoned woman down and removing her own jacket, draping it over her exposed chest, ignoring the chill that the sleeveless uniform shirt left her with, "I promise you, you'll be alright."

She reached up with a lethargic hand, looking at her with hard, if hazy, eyes, "J-Jaune…. Took him…."

"I know." she said patiently, smiling and brushing her hair back with her hand, feeling her fever. "Now I need you to stay still, okay? I know what this is, and we can treat it." Pyrrha nodded off quickly, Winter continuing to brush her hair with her hand soothingly and turning to the door, "Just like in Atlas… could it be her here too?"

"Ma'am?" One of the soldiers asked, the one by the window, "Did you say something?"

"Nothing you need to worry about, private." She said shortly, looking back at the girl and shaking her head, "Nothing at all."

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James stormed onto his command deck, turning to one of his flight officers sharply, returning the man's salute quickly, "Report."

"Sir. Seven coinciding attacks across Vale, nothing serious and very little damage, but all were against Atlesian targets. All appear to have been done with our own munitions as well." He said quickly, handing the general a folder, "The deceased are listed there, as well as the locations attacked."

"Understood. Dispatch as many men as you need and call people back from leave, it is suspended until this crisis is resolved." The other man nodded, saluting before turning to issue the commands and divert the ordered resources.

"Sir." He turned to another soldier, a woman manning the communications console, "Report from Specialist Schnee regarding the condition of target Priority One."

"Go ahead then." He said, nodding so she knew to convey the technically classified information.

"Yes, sir." She said, turning to read the report, "The target is currently missing, presumed taken by enemy combatants. His partner, temporarily designated target Priority Red, was found drugged and with signs of minor torture as well as poisoning consistent with the assassinations in Atlas a year ago. She has requested an emergency medical response team."

"Dispatch them immediately, have them stabilize her and bring her aboard for questioning and treatment." He turned to the man next to her, pointing at him and taking a seat in his command chair, "Get a communique to Headmaster Ozpin, tell him that Priority One is missing. Keep the status of Priority Red out of the report."

"Yes, sir." The two echoed crisply, and the man turned to his fleet officer.

"Order the armada into defensive positions and broadcast a general alert to our outposts and defensive stations outside Vale's wall." The man nodded, and James sighed, "Something is coming… I can feel it."

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Ozpin slammed his mug into his desk, shattering it and standing hard enough to toss the chair back, Glynda and the Atlesian soldier flinching in unison at the outburst, "Jaune has been… taken?"

"Yes, sir. And his partner was found, wounded. Our medical team is on the way now… sir." He said quietly, clearly unnerved by the older man's demeanor.

Ozpin leaned on the desk, staring into the wood for several long seconds before sighing, "You may leave, captain… Tell the sergeant I am grateful he had you deliver the report to me." The man nodded, turning and walking into the elevator, and Ozpin looked to Glynda, "Contact Qrow, get teams RWBY, JNPR, and CFVY up here, contact Tai Yang, and put out feelers for Raven."

"O-Ozpin?" Glynda said concernedly, looking at him for a second before speaking, "What should I tell them, sir?"

"That an asset who could bring down a Kingdom in a week has been taken from us." Ozpin said simply, sighing and shaking his head, "And that he must be recovered at any cost. This is officially a crisis the likes of which we haven't seen in any of your lives. While you're at it, gather the professors and make an announcement. Classes are suspended for an indeterminate time, missions are open to students who wish for them and will make up for grades."

"Yes sir." She said curtly, opening her Scroll and going to work, "Ozpin, James is asking you what he should do."

"Tell him to sweep the city." Ozpin said instantly, walking to a window and bracing an arm on it over his head, shaking his head lightly, "Tell him to do whatever he has to, as long as he finds Jaune Arc."

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Cinder stepped into her room, this one far nice than she was used to. It had a warm red carpet, comfortable bed with nice, black blankets and a comfortable brown chair. She relaxed into the chair, opening her Scroll and dialing a number she'd long since memorized.

"Yes, Cinder? Do you have something to report?" Salem answered tightly, making Cinder suddenly aware of the time it must be for her mistress, "It's late, I was in bed until I saw it was you."

"I'm sorry, ma'am. In my haste to report to you, the time slipped my mind." Cinder said quietly, cowed simply by Salem's voice, "I will be more mindful in the future."

"That is good." She said crisply, the sound of shifting blankets and sheets in the background before she spoke again, "Now, what is so important for you to report that you lost control of your mental faculties for a moment?"

"We've acquire Jaune Arc, the young man you were hunting. He's been captured and is being contained at one of our bases, Mistress. Once I secure travel arrangements, he'll be brought to you." Cinder reported mechanically, hand fisting in her fabric nervously.

"You have done very, very well, Cinder. I am impressed thoroughly, and look forward to meeting our young friend." Cinder almost beamed at the praise, and Salem continued, "Be careful, however. Ozpin will send everything he can spare after that boy, so you need to watch out for him and his agents alike. He put himself into the field once over this boy, I've little doubt he will do so again."

"Yes, Mistress. I'll have the White Fang tighten security immediately, and do my best to have travelling arrangements made as soon as I can." She answered quickly, still smiling lightly at the praise.

"See that you do, Cinder. I would hate to see you fail now, after such a grand success as you have made." Salem said forebodingly, ending the call. Cinder swallowed nervously, laying her head back and staring at the ceiling.

Not an easy Mistress to please, but it certainly felt wondrous when she did.

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Roman plopped onto the couch in his meager quarters, Neo hopping on as well and laying her head in his lap, snuggling against his stomach contentedly. He rubbed her head, smiling at her warmly, and pulled out a Scroll. Not his, obviously, he'd swiped it from the barracks so no one would know it had been him to make the message.

'Send a message to the head of B. Tell him I have a yellow prize for him. Make arrangements for a sale date. Thanks J. ~ TR' he locked the message over, double checking their archaic code phrasing, before sending it and looking down.

Neo stared up at him in concern, and he sighed, poking her nose lightly, "Don't worry, Songbird. I'll make sure you are taken care of, like I always do."

She signed at him rapidly, "Don't want you to die, Roman. Need you alive." She let her hand rest against his stomach and he sighed again, looking at the wall.

"Don't want to either, little one. Probably not gonna get a choice, though, and I'll be damned if I drag you down with me." She nodded, curling up and starting to cry, and Roman sighed, "You'll be okay, kiddo. Just trust me, okay?"

She nodded again, and Roman started playing with her hair and humming, to make her feel better.

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 **Twisted ~ Well, as always, I hope you enjoyed the chapter, and thanks to Mine as always for the editing and support work, he's Dustsent I swear it. If you desire more, faster, head on over to the Temple Walkers Youtube and from there you can support us and see more, more often, and more of what you want. Just tell me there what is is.**


	22. Convalescence

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Pyrrha groaned tiredly, her head rolling over to look out the window beside her bed lethargically. Her head was pounding, her throat was dry, and her back and chest ached where that woman had injected her. The room was smaller than others she'd seen at academies in Mistral, and private. A room only for her didn't make much sense. Why would she be given a special, private room for her own convalescence when she knew academies used more standard ones?

She started to sit up, forced to use her arms as a support, and felt a chill hit her chest. Looking down, she realized she was in a hospital gown. At least that much made sense, except this one was stark white. Not Mistral's usual teal or Vale's greenish one, but a stark white. The door opened a second later with a creak, and she instinctively covered her chest, if only due to the room's chill and her lack of a shirt or anything else.

A large man in a decorated uniform stepped into the room, Headmaster Ozpin on his tail, and Pyrrha instinctively straightened under his gaze. Ozpin spoke first, "Miss Nikos, I am glad to see you awake. How are you feeling?"

"Like I was attacked, poisoned twice and left tied to a chair… sirs." She croaked, adding the last after a thought before her brain sluggishly woke up to something, "Where's Jaune? Is he okay? That… woman took him, did you get him back?"

The two looked at each other, Ozpin sadly and the other with a sort of grim acknowledgement. The other spoke, "That's why we're here, Nikos. My name is James Ironwood, and I'm the general in charge of the Atlesian defensive fleet over Vale right now. Ozpin and I are getting people together for a rescue operation."

"Why not send in your soldiers?" Pyrrha asked hotly, shaking her head and looking out the window as an Atlesian ship floated by in the early morning light. "Isn't this the kind of thing that your army is here for?"

"If James were to deploy his soldiers into the streets in search of Mister Arc, there would be mass panic. Along with a diversion of the soldiers that are meant to thwart what that would cause." Ozpin said as calmly as possible, leaning forward on his cane heavily, "However, he has multiple agents in the city looking for any sign of him. And I have Hunters in the city, in case they find anything, to follow him if nothing else."

"However, we know of a way that you can help Jaune. A way that you, and only you, can help him and all of us more than anyone or anything else." Ozpin took a long breath, sitting on the edge of her bed and resting a hand on her knee, "Do you want to help Jaune? No matter what may come of it?"

"Of course." She said instantly, looking at him with confusion, "You know that, I'd do anything in his service. We are lokhoi, battle brothers and sisters. He'd do anything to save me, and I he. The same goes for Nora or Ren."

"Even should it leave you dead?" James asked lowly, stepping to the foot of her bed, "Or even worse than?"

She looked between them for a long time, leaning back into her bed in sudden anxiety, "What… what is it that you want me to do? What could possibly hold such risks? I would die for my lokhoi if needed, but… what would be worse than that?"

"Becoming nothing. Losing everything that you are. The kind of thing where even your Semblance may be changed forever." Ozpin said honestly, shrugging when she grew more curious and concerned, "But first… how familiar are you with the Tales of the Maidens?"

"I was told them as a child…." She muttered, looking between the general and Ozpin several times, "What bearing do they have on Jaune? What could they do to help us save him?"

"Because in that story is our most potent weapon." James said almost reverently, nodding at her, "And soon, if you are willing to do what it takes to save your partner, you will be that weapon. A weapon to protect entire kingdoms- and your friends."

"A Maiden." Ozpin added quickly, squeezing her knee comfortingly, "Power unimaginable, once you master it."

She sat up straighter and without hesitation spoke, "Tell me what you need of me. What you need me to do. How do I become this… Maiden?"

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Junior was rather content right now. He was in good health, all his bills were paid up to next month and he still had extra, his informants were all well and reporting as usual, and even his club had been repaired and was once more populated by the young and excitement seeking. Melanie and Miltia were on the floor, dancing as much as they were patrolling for trouble makers and drug dealers. Greg was doing the rounds too, watching for overly aggressive guys he needed to chase out.

And the bar was quiet, which boded well for the town as a whole. A couple of regulars at the end were drinking and chatting idly, but aside from that it was empty. He sighed when he saw one of his boys walking towards him with a burner Scroll in his hand, and took it without comment for the goon. "J. Who is this?"

"Who else?" Roman said on the other end of the line, "Need you to get a message out, discreetly obviously. Paying top dollar for this one, I don't care if you have to call one of your more… upstanding friends, so to speak."

"That's expensive as hell, you know that." He said gruffly, turning away from the bar to prevent any accidental overhearing, "Who you need me to contact for you, and what do you need me to say?"

"Anyone in the Atlesian army high enough to get a message to that old dick in charge, or anyone at Beacon who can get it to the _other_ old dick in charge. Tell him that I have his little... gem in Glenn. I don't know, change that to whatever kind of yellow gem you can think of, he'll get it" Roman said cryptically, chuckling after a second, "Hey, that rhymed."

"Wait a tick, Roman.…" Junior interrupted, looking out at the floor of his club as though he'd find the man there, waiting to laugh at him. He saw nothing. "You want me to contact the Dust damn _Atlesian military_ , Roman? Are you insane?"

"In fairness, I want you to have _someone else_ do it. Or go to Beacon." He heard the man sigh, the act sending static, "Look, I have the Lien for it, so just do it, alright?"

"Fine, Roman." Junior sighed, shaking his head, "I'll see what I can do." He ended the call before Roman could answer, smashing the Scroll on the counter in anger.

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Jaune's room was nice enough, about the same size as his one in Asnel. And along with the bed it had a small table in the middle. The floor was made of smoothed stone, like the walls and ceiling, and was cold to the touch if he took off his boots. Currently he was sitting on the bed, back against the wall, while the voices and feelings of all those around him assaulted his senses.

Jaune sighed when the door finally opened and Cinder stepped inside, carrying a tray of food with a red bottle on it. She paused when the door slammed shut behind her, smiling pleasantly at him, "Hello, Jaune. I felt you might be hungry, so I brought some food and wine. Assuming you drink, of course?"

"I'm, uh, not old enough to drink yet." He said quietly, watching her step further into the room and lay the tray down. She was wearing the same red dress from the other day, but she lacked the heels and instead wore soft-looking sandals, "So I, um, well I don't, I guess?"

"Jaune, you're currently at the center of a base, owned by terrorists, and in a room with someone who has killed or ordered the deaths of enough people to be called a mass murderer." She chuckled quietly, standing and cocking her hip with a hand resting on it, "I don't think the legal age of alcohol consumption should be the most important thing to you as of now." " _Not that Ozpin would let anyone punish you for it, even if you were in Beacon…. Too valuable to his needs."_ "I also thought you might appreciate some company, given that I doubt the White Fang is very… friendly to you."

"I already said no to… sleeping with people as a payment to joining you, "He grumbled, standing up and walking to the table to pluck a piece of bread off it and gnawing on it hungrily, "That did include you."

She laughed brightly this time, shaking her head at him while she sat in the chair, "Jaune, if I were trying to sleep with you, I wouldn't have brought you soup. And besides, I have made the offer that I think will make you choose my side. I am… I am simply here to make it an easier choice, I suppose." " _You think us evil, and this is why you oppose us."_ "I aim to disprove that belief." " _Though if sleeping with you helps that.…"_

"Would you stop... doing that? Thinking and talking, it makes my head hurt." She nodded, smiling at him and grabbing the two glasses off the table, setting one in front of him, "And… stop with the sex stuff, okay? It's annoying."

She inclined her head slightly, watching him pick up the bowl and start eating the thick soup for a moment, "I do apologize for that. I did not realize that it offended you." She picked up the bottle, pouring herself a full glass and filling his as well, "It is there if you want it. Something that can be said of the world, now." " _If you wish to take it, of course."_

Jaune stared at the glass for a second before taking another bite of bread, "You came here to try and convince me that you weren't evil, right? Or do you need me drunk to do that?"

"No, of course I don't require that." She took a sip from her glass, holding it in her hand and shaking it slightly to make the liquid splash back and forth, "Let me ask you something, Jaune. Why is it that, with the ability to control all of the Grimm even at a great distance, my mistress does not simply destroy one Kingdom after another? Why not overwhelm them in a sheer wall of flesh and fur?"

"I… never thought about it, really." Jaune said quietly, pushing the soup around in his bowl and avoiding looking at Cinder, "I just assumed she couldn't, because the militaries and Hunters would prevent them getting past their walls, and the natural barriers would add more problems."

"Giant Nevermores could fly over the walls protecting Vale with Creeps on their backs, and Hydras, Sea Dragons and Aqua Drakes could assault the port." She dismissed easily, waving a hand as though to toss the argument away, "That's without considering the Elder Grimm she could send into battle, like the Greater Drakes. She doesn't _want_ to annihilate the entirety of the Kingdoms. So, if she wants to win a war, and wants to preserve the kingdoms, what could she want?"

"Conquest…."

"Exactly." Cinder said, clasping her fingers into a tent under her chin, "She wants to rule, and you can't rule the dead. So if you agreed to help us, then I'm sure you'd be able to save lives." " _Or you could fight us, and watch people die in vain."_ Jaune thought for a long time, spinning the spoon in his soup idly, and Cinder decided to add in, "She will win, Jaune. I would suggest you choose the side that has the least amount of deaths, as that appears to be your priority."

"I need to think." He said quietly, and Cinder smiled before downing the rest of her wine and standing to leave.

Once she was gone, Jaune took a long drink of his own and refilled it while his mind raced with thoughts.

Behind him on the bed, the pillow laying on the mattress flipped over quietly, without catching the blonde's attention.

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Outside the door, Cinder smiled to herself and began to make her way to her room, eager to report what she already felt was a success to her mistress. Soon enough they'd have the next step in her plan prepared, and she'd be able to sway Jaune fully to their side.

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Pyrrha had almost never been injured before, outside of minor sprains and breaks in training. Those had healed usually overnight, so she'd been spared much of the negatives to the injuries aside from lost time. Now, though? As Ren wheeled her through Beacon's halls, her hands folded in her lap and eyes downcast as the people they past whispered. The 'Invincible Girl' Pyrrha Nikos, beaten by a little girl?

The needle, poison, and trick involved somewhere in there seemed to elude them entirely.

But that was, frankly, the last thing on her mind. First and foremost was what Headmaster Ozpin and the Atlesian General had told her. They'd both insisted she call them by their first names, given what she'd agreed to, but even now she couldn't bring herself to do it. It just seemed… unearned, she supposed.

Ren saw her staring at the floor and looked over his shoulder at Nora, who gave him a sad look and nodded at her. Sighing, Ren laid a hand on her shoulder, "You'll be fine, Pyrrha. And they'll get him back, you know that."

"Yeah!" Nora added brightly, bouncing in front of them and waving her hands in the air as she detailed the very intricate plan involving thirty seven Atlas warships, five Huntsmen, and a carrot that would save Jaune. She turned when her story was over, and Pyrrha tried to force a smile for her sake. By Nora's expression though, she could tell it was less than what she had hoped for, "Come on, Pyrrha… you know he'll be fine. You have to, right?"

"I hope so very much, Nora." Pyrrha said honestly, smiling still and forcing herself to relax slightly. "I just… have a lot on my mind. That is all. I promise, I am fine."

"I should hope so." Ren said quietly, patting her shoulder and giving it a comforting squeeze, "Now, we have a meeting to get to." He said, wheeling her to a stop in front of the elevator and looking down, "Assuming you are ready, of course?"

"Yeah, we can just say we got lost or… something." Nora shrugged when Pyrrha turned and raised an eyebrow at her, "What? I don't do the nitty gritty ideas. That's Ren and Jaune's job. I just hit things. With my hammer. Until they die. Sometimes repeatedly, and with a _lot_ of explosives."

"Nora.…"

Pyrrha chuckled and sighed, sad and amused at the same time, before she reached up to press the elevator's call button, "Let us just get this over with, alright? Once it is done, we will… know more, I suppose, about what to do."

The ride was short, and rather quiet, and when they reached the end she was mildly surprised by how many people were in the office. Nine not counting her team, or what was left of it, and none she knew aside from the teachers and Qrow. He was sitting backwards in a chair by the elevator, Ozpin sat at his desk as always with a mug in hand and Glynda at his side. General James Ironwood was on his other side, presenting a solid front. Between Yang and Ruby, a blonde man was sitting and looking quite irritated, arms crossed while the girls leaned against him and smiled. The other two members of the team sat on opposite sides, and Pyrrha sensed some tension there.

The remainder of JNPR took a spot next to RWBY and the unnamed man, Ozpin nodding to her in particular. She smiled meekly back, and he stood, "Ladies and gentleman, I would like to start by thanking you for coming to this meeting on such short notice. As you all know, Beacon Academy was attacked on the night of the annual dance. Two Atlesian soldiers were killed, and their grenades used as improvised explosives placed under the balconies of the ballroom."

"Video recovered from the helmets of the two soldiers shows that the first didn't even take note when the man he was speaking with had his throat cut beside him. He in fact keeps talking to him as though he's there, until we see him fall." The General said quietly, a thin veneer barely hiding the anger everyone - even Pyrrha - could tell was there. "Unfortunately, the assailant made sure to keep the helmets facing the ground after that, so we could not identify them. Further, the weapon recovered at the scene was a plain kitchen knife, so no leads can be gleaned from there."

"Finally, even worse, is that this was a diversion." Professor Goodwitch said with a small sigh, stepping forward and pressing a button on the desk. A panel on the wall pulled in and slid back, showing a viewscreen. On the viewscreen, a picture of Jaune boarding a Bullhead with a woman next to him was shown, "Jaune Arc was either kidnapped or extracted by friends of his, though we lean to the former of these options due to the… events leading up to the night in question."

"What do you mean?" The stranger asked, raising a hand as though asking a teacher's permission to speak, the arm covered in tattoos and small scars. "If he went with the kinds of people I think you mean, he's probably _with them_ , isn't he?"

"No." Ozpin said simply, standing and leaning on the desk heavily to look at the man, "He was forced to go with them. They assaulted, poisoned and carved a message into Miss Nikos' flesh to send him a message on his Scroll. Combined with the bombing they used as a mere distraction.…"

"Jaune would have gone with them, to stop it. If they threatened that, or to hurt Pyrrha more-"

"They did." Pyrrha interrupted Ruby, smiling at her apologetically before continuing, "She said something like that she would keep cutting at me until he went with them. Or that she'd poison him too. They… I think they wanted it to look like he was cooperating with them freely."

"He did seem to be hugging the girl awful close in our footage of him." Qrow said quietly, shrugging and crossing his arms, tapping a finger on his bicep, "I suppose she could have had a knife to his side, or a needle since that's what little Miss Invincible had get her."

"A needle." Pyrrha growled, glaring at him lightly. He raised an eyebrow at her and she sighed, "She had several. Used two to keep me down, and threatened him with another. How interesting that you weren't there to protect him."

"I was busy." He defended flaccidly, shrugging at the girl, "Besides, that's why I was _training him_."

"Fat lot of good that did him. Now he's been-"

"Enough!" The blonde man said, standing and slamming a fist into the table, "Oz, you called in your favor for this. I'll ignore you putting my _daughters_ at risk so long as you just get to the part where you say what you want from me."

Ozpin seemed to think for a long time, likely debating defending himself, before sighing and retaking his seat, "I want you and Qrow to rake this city until Nicholas Arc and Raven arrive, then add them to your group." He raised a hand when both the man and Yang opened their mouths, eager to speak, "I understand both your needs to speak with her, but a man's life lies on the line. I trust that you will put personal matters away until after this is over, Taiyang and Yang?"

Taiyang glared at the man for several long seconds, his jaw working hard enough that a vessel popped out on his neck, before he sighed and straightened, "Fine, but I swear to Oum that if any of my family gets hurt…." Ozpin nodded and the man turned, patting Ruby's head as he walked towards the elevator.

"Yang?" He asked quietly, looking to her with raised eyebrows and a neutral expression, "Can I trust you as a Huntress?" The fact that he'd have to treat her as a child if he couldn't went unsaid. She simply nodded mutely, and he smiled warmly, "Good. I want RWBY combing through the forests around Beacon and Vale for any sign of Jaune, or any sort of hidden bases."

"Atlesian forces are also combing the area, and will support you if you need it." The General added, tossing four small disks onto the table, "Keep these with you, you can use them to get a direct line of communication to Specialist Schnee onboard my flagship. Extraction, reinforcements, Paladins, or a bombardment are all available to you if you feel the need."

"JNPR will stay at Beacon, as a sort of rapid response unit. Team CFVY is on their way back from a mission, and will stand to as well when they arrive. This will also allow Miss Nikos to recover from her wounds in the meantime. Mister Lie and Miss Valkyrie, you will run patrols acting as students. Report _anything_ untoward. Even something as simple as a missing student." Pyrrha frowned at the Headmistress' words, knowing what she meant.

She'd undergo the 'operation' while the others were away or working, and they'd help her recover. She didn't mind the deception, and understood its reasons. She nodded to say she understood and Ren grabbed her wheelchair so they could leave when Ozpin spoke, "Mister Lie, please leave her here. We wish to speak with her regarding last night. Verify a few things."

"She needs to rest." He said simply, hands still on the wheelchair and Nora at his back as the others filed out, Ruby stopping hesitantly in the doorway to look at them worriedly.

"It's alright." She said, smiling up at him, "Go ahead, and save me some dinner as well, would you kindly?" He hesitated only a moment before releasing the chair and following the others into the elevator, the doors sliding closed quietly. Sighing, Pyrrha looked at him, "What did you need, Headmaster?"

"We only wished to speak with you, make sure you are well." Goodwitch said quietly, walking around the table to smile at her warmly, "You have had a lot to consider in such a short while. And even more has happened than you have considered, I am sure. We're worried about your mental wellbeing, the poison used on you has been known to affect the mind."

"What she means is that the procedure to transfer the Maiden's power may fail if you aren't mentally prepared." James said dryly, his face softening slightly after a moment, "It failing could hurt you greatly, and we wouldn't risk that lightly. Maiden or not."

"I'm alright as can be. I shall be better once I have Jaune safely in my line of sight." She smiled thinly, almost sadly, "Seems a fact that whenever he and I part, he finds some world of trouble."

"That would seem to be true." Qrow added quietly, nodding his head. He sighed when she glared at him balefully and pushed off the wall, "Gonna head into the city then, see what I can dig up."

Ozpin nodded, watching the man leave through the same elevator as the others had used, before returning his gaze to Pyrrha, "Well then, Miss Nikos… are you ready to get this underway? You need to be ready, after all, when we discover Jaune's location."

She simply nodded.

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Jaune sighed when the door opened again, sitting against the wall across from it and watching Roman and Neo step in, shutting the door behind them. "Sorry it's late, kid, had to wait a while and do some work before we could come see you." " _And it was easier to avoid Cinder after she went to sleep."_ He took a look at the now half-empty bottle on the table and sighed, looking at him, "You sober enough to plan things, or should we wait on that?"

"Can't get drunk." He said, shrugging, "At least I don't think I can. Half a bottle and I feel the same."

Neo plopped into a chair, checking the label, "" _Not able to nullify Aura. More for taste, and a very slight buzz if you drink enough."_ She typed a message and tried to hand him her Scroll and he waved her off, making her pout.

"Look, kid, I made a call, and the message should get to someone useful in a day or two. Maybe three, if he has troubles getting through." He shrugged, grabbing the chair Cinder had sat in and turning it to face him, "Gonna have Neo stick with you until we know more, though. Someone asks, you're sleeping together." " _If you actually force that, though, I may kill you myself."_

"Hey, psychic, remember?" Jaune said offendedly, sighing slightly, "Besides, there's nothing she has that I want." A spoon bounced off his chest, the young woman pouting at him angrily, and he tried to find a reason to care, "With what you did? I don't even want to _pretend_ to be sleeping with you."

"Anyways," Roman interrupted dryly, looking between the two, "She'll keep you safe as she can until we know more. And when your little friends come and get you, she'll play the traitor and leave with you." " _Back to Beacon, where she'll be safe enough for now."_ "I can keep in touch with her so she knows what's going on, so you and yours can keep up with us."

"So you'll be the spy?" Jaune asked, looking him up and down when he nodded, and nodding in return. "All right then. Just let me know what and when, and I'll do my best."

"That was easier than I had expected." Roman said, leaning back and looking surprised, "I figured you'd be a hell of a lot more hesitant to follow my directions." " _Or take Neo with you even if you were convinced eventually."_

"I'm psychic. I can feel your honesty and hear your thoughts." He shrugged, leaning against the wall and letting his head rock back to stare at the ceiling, "Cinder could hide the important bits there, and I don't know how, but I… sense your affection for Neo, and your honesty in wanting her safe. I feel it, if that makes sense."

"It does. Kind of." He stood up again, patting Neo on the head, "You don't have to sleep together in the intimate sense, but if Cinder shows up and you two aren't in the same bed…."

Jaune sighed, standing and looking at her, "Fine. But you try anything and our deal will go down the drain. Understand?" She nodded, and Jaune turned to Roman, "Good luck."

"Normally, I'd make a quip about not needing it." He started, sighing and straightening his hat, "But right now? I need all the Dust damned luck I can get my hand on."

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 **Twisted ~ As always, hope you enjoyed the update, and I'd love some input. If you want more updates, more often, and of specific stories you want, go to Youtube and look up The Temple Walkers. From there, you can support us with donations, and request stories and videos alike.**

 **And I know, this was a lot less focused on Jaune than you'd like. But in all honesty, it needed to be. He's, for all uses and purposes, imprisoned. The important things are happening without him. So while I have restructured the story as much as I could, I had to have this. I did, however, make it extra long.**


	23. Changes Hurt Sometimes

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 _ **Official Supporters:**_

 **SleeplessShippings**

 **Shadie**

 _ **If you want your name on the lists of my stories and videos, head over to P a t. R e . o n and search for the Temple Walkers. Just let us know you're from Fanfiction, alright? There's a thousand of you, so a dollar a piece would really add up and help me a lot!**_

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 **X3 Runner:**

 **Twisted ~ Because of what she did to Pyrrha, mostly. He can sense her thoughts and intentions, after all. Would have sensed her pleasure at the acts.**

 **Mangahero:**

 **Twisted ~ Thanks!**

 **Spartan 3909:**

 **Twisted ~ Thanks for the Review.**

 **Gizmo Gear:**

 **Twisted ~ So do I. Which is why I do it so damned often.**

 **Scottusa:**

 **Twisted ~ Glad you're enjoying!**

 **Ninjafang:**

 **Twisted ~ Thanks! And yes indeed it has been.**

 **Allard-Liao:**

 **Twisted ~ Some probably weren't, but a few were purposeful.**

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Pyrrha was scared. Terrified, even.

Several days had passed since the meeting on top of Beacon's tower, since the day she'd made the choice to undergo this operation. Back then, she'd been so certain. Full of the valor she'd been told Mistralians all felt when asked to risk their lives for their brothers and sisters in arms. But now she was shaking in her armor. Ozpin and Glynda were with her, and they could tell easily.

She nearly jumped when she felt a hand touch her shoulder, turning to see Glynda's concerned gaze, "Are you alright? It's perfectly understandable if you wish to… put this off. For a day, maybe two."

She honestly considered doing just that, before she sighed and closed her eyes, "No. Everyone else is doing their part to save Jaune, and I must not shirk at my own. I have to master the Maiden's powers quickly." She opened her eyes and looked at the other pod. Or rather, at the girl lying inside. "She didn't shirk hers either… It would be a dishonor to her to hide from this now."

"I doubt she would have anything at all against you not doing what I want." Ozpin said from the terminal, entering commands and chuckling dryly, "She and I… did not always agree on every front, I suppose."

"Why not?" Pyrrha asked quietly, more to take her mind off the machine she'd be inside soon than anything.

"She was… willful, and brave. And she thought she'd be safe without anyone around her to help her. To protect her." He sighed, turning around to look at the Mistralian warrior sadly, "That's why she was beaten, Miss Nikos. She thought she knew better than anyone what was good for her, and for them."

"I won't be like that." She said quietly, making Ozpin smile in a knowing way and nod.

"I know you won't, Miss Nikos." And he did. It was why he'd chosen her in the first place as a candidate to consider. Even if he'd decided on her for entirely different reasons after that. "The procedure is prepared. Do you want us to use anaesthetics to make this easier on you?"

"No." She said, shuddering and hugging herself slightly, avoiding looking at the man, "I… am afraid I have developed something akin to a fear of needles as of late, sir. I have been quite apprehensive about all of this, were I to be honest."

"Understandable." Glynda said quietly, nodding and smiling sympathetically, "Is that part of why you wore your armor? Your apprehension about what we intend to attempt today?"

"Yes. I feel more comfortable, more… myself when I'm wearing my armor." She sighed and smiled thinly, almost painedly. "And given the implications of this procedure.…"

"Wearing your armor and carrying your arms might, as a matter of fact, actually help you retain your sense of self." Ozpin offered quietly, the pod hissing open and lowering down expectantly. Pyrrha swallowed nervously, her throat dry and heart hammering in her chest, and Ozpin turned to put an arm around her comfortingly. "Are you ready, Miss Nikos? As Miss Goodwitch said, we can afford to wait longer, if you so wish."

"No." She said again, taking a deep breath and rolling her shoulders habitually. She did the same whenever she used to go into tournaments and ranked fights, it helped her calm herself. "We have to do this now. You'll need the Maiden's power as soon as you find where Jaune is located, and I need to know how to use it when that time comes. That means training, and one cannot learn the art of the spear and shield without picking up both."

"A Mistralian saying." He muttered, giving her shoulders a comforting squeeze and letting go. "It's one I rather like, myself. It portrays a certain… drive, to get the job underway and completed. And I rather like the attitude that conveys about the Mistralian people. The willingness to do what must be done, when it must be done."

She nodded and took the cue, climbing into the cold pod and laying in the bottom on the thin pad that had been put there expressly for her. The pod closed slowly, and she closed her eyes as she felt the machine lift up, eventually causing her to slide down until she landed on her feet, and she opened them again Ozpin spoke to her.

"Miss Nikos, on behalf on Remnant I want to thank you for the risk you are undergoing. And for my own state of mind, I need to ask once again if you are ready for this." She looked at his stern face, the man leaning forward on his cane heavily. "This decision has to be yours and yours alone, Miss Nikos. And it is not too late to change it. Once I press the button and start the process though, your choice is final."

"I want to do this, sir. For Jaune, and Remnant, and for myself." He nodded and stepped out of sight, and Glynda took his place. She pressed a hand against the glass and smiled sadly, and Pyrrha nodded at her.

The pain hit her like a hammer blow, knocking the breath from her lungs before she could scream. Like fire creeping up her body, burning at her. She couldn't stand it, and collapsed with a strangled scream into the bottom of the pod. She heard the scream echo before she lost consciousness, and the last thing she remembered seeing was Miss Goodwitch's concerned face pressed against the glass.

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"Another dead end." Weiss huffed angrily, shaking her head as they walked away from one of the myriad police departments scattered throughout Vale. They'd decided days ago to hit up the military outposts and police departments to try and find anything suspicious, and found nothing. "We know they took a bullhead, and they had to stay close enough to the walls to avoid Grimm, but no one saw anything?"

"It is possible they didn't land in Vale." Blake offered, following behind them and watching the alleyways, ever the paranoid one. "If the White Fang are involved, it is possible that they took him out of Vale. Strictly speaking, of course."

"Then where would they go?" Weiss asked instantly and irritably, sighing and shaking her head, "The reports from the Atlesian battlegroup showed that no craft matching those analogues left Vale's airspace. They'd have to stay close to Vale or Beacon, and that limits the places they can go by a large margin."

"I don't know, this is making my head hurt." Ruby whined, lagging behind Yang slightly.

The blonde turned to look at her and sighed, "Worried about your crush, Rubes?" The brunette pouted slightly, but otherwise didn't react, and she let the fake smile drop, "I have an idea, guys."

"There's a change of pace." Blake teased quietly, smirking at the girl's raised eyebrow.

"Be serious for a sec, okay? I know a guy, he knows everything about most things. If we have the lien, he might tell us something good." Weiss saw Yang's sheepish expression and rolled her eyes.

"I can cover it."

"Thanks, Weiss-cream!" Yang cheered, throwing an arm around the smaller girl and sighed, "There _is_ one little, teensy, tiny problem though… might be nothing!" She added, when everyone looked at her with the typical expectant sarcasm, "I might have trashed the place once before, so.…"

"I'm sure he can be made to see reason." Weiss dismissed haughtily, holding up her card and smiling, "Lien makes decent glasses, I hear."

The quartet made their way back into the town, following the brawler of the group while she told them about the night at the club. When they stepped inside, a couple dozen men in black suits were waiting for them, along with a massive man holding a bat on his shoulder.

"Blondie." he inclined his head, watching his men shift at his side nervously, "You know you aren't welcome here, after you trashed my place the last time you came by."

"I thought you learned your lesson, Junior." She said relaxedly, walking forward with a sway in her hips and poking his chest, "Besides, I'm not here about what I was last time. Just want to ask you something and I'll leave. We can even pay you, if you ask nicely."

"I'm an information broker." He grunted, stepping out of her reach and kicking out a chair at a table, "Sit down, tell me what you want to know. I tell you the price, you pay, I give you the information."

Yang started to say something, but was interrupted when Weiss bumped into her, "I'll be paying, not her. So you and I can talk, if you like." Junior huffed and walked around the table, his circle of men following the man and his smaller counterpart as they sat down. "A friend of ours went somewhere recently in a personal travel ship, and we can't seem to track it. The military forts we went to and police both say that no small personal travel ships have left their perimeter, meaning they have to be in Vale or nearby." She folded her hands on the table in front of her, smiling politely, "His name is Jaune, and we'd like to know whatever you know."

"Don't know anything, sorry. Heard about a few smugglers headed for Vacuo, but nothing came of it. They got busted." He shrugged when she looked displeased, "Sorry. But sometimes," he looke dat Yang meaningfully, "even I don't know things." He continued immediately, before Yang could act on the anger she felt at it, "I will pass word down if I find anything out, though. If I do-"

"I'll be by as soon as I can to pay you, of course." Weiss interrupted politely, smiling diplomatically and taking a hundred lien out of her sleeve. She set it on the table as she stood, "Thank you for the help, and for hearing us out. I do apologize for my hotheaded friend."

He took the lien, working his jaw as Weiss made a show of pushing the chair in and turning to leave, "I did hear one thing." He said quietly, leaning forward, "Small craft, don't know the make, but it went down apparently off towards Mountain Glenn. Probably nothing though, so I'll make that one free of charge. Since you're so polite and civil."

He cast another meaningful look at Yang, who simply gave him the bird and turned to stalk away angrily. Weiss ignored both acts, simply smiling brightly and shaking his hand when he offered, "I appreciate the kindness, sir." She put another hundred lien on the table and turned to leave, Junior smiling behind her.

Once they were outside, Weiss smiled almost cockily at Yang, "That is how you get information. Now let's go, we should get to Beacon and tell Ozpin about this."

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Jaune was having a pleasant dream before he rolled over, his face meeting something soft, and amusement echoing into his thoughts from beside him as he woke up. Opening his eyes, all he saw was white cloth, and it took a moment for him to realize where his head was and pull back, banging his head on the wall beside his bed as he did. All the while Neo laughed mutely in front of him.

"That's not funny, Neo." He said angrily, sitting up and rubbing the back of his head with a blush on his face. "I was having a nice dream."

"I could tell, you kept nuzzling my chest." She typed after a second, laughing hard enough to shake when he pushed past her and went to sit at the table irritably. After a second she sighed and got up, showing him another message. "Okay, okay, I'm sorry. I was just bored."

"I'm psychic." He said roughly, turning to glare up at her, "I literally know for fact that you are lying when you say that. Well, the first part. But being bored isn't a good excuse to sexually assault someone!"

"Hey, if anything you assaulted me. Your head was in my chest after all." She smirked and sat at the other end of the table, drumming her fingers on the wood. " _I wonder what Roman is up to…."_

"You can go see him if you want to, you know." She perked up immediately, and he almost smiled. But he still had that picture she'd sent him on his Scroll, so the smile never came. "I could use the time to myself, maybe get a nap in without being assaulted."

"Yeah, keep pretending you don't like it." She said, smirking when he grimaced before continuing, "And I can't, Roman said to stick with you and keep you safe. So that's what I have to do until he says I can stop." " _Even if it does suck hardcore.…"_

He sighed then, and Neo watched him sit in the chair for a few moments before the door opened to deliver their dinner. They ate in silence for a while before Neo slid the Scroll across the table, "Are you still angry about what I did to get you here?"

"Of course I am." He saw her face fall a bit and almost felt bad, but continued anyway, "Imagine if I'd done that to Roman, and you'll probably start to get it. You tortured my friend and kidnapped me. And I could _feel_ how much you enjoyed doing it too."

She nodded, looking almost depressed, and slid the Scroll back to him, "But you're the one I have to stay with after this is all over." " _Roman made me promise, said it'd keep me safe after he was gone."_

He paused when he felt her grief and pain, and not for the first time cursed his Semblance. Putting his cutlery on the table, he sighed and spoke, "Look, you're a messed up person, that's just a fact. But an Arc always keeps his word, and Roman has mine that I'll protect you if he helps me." He shrugged and leaned back, "It doesn't matter how I feel."

"But we'll both be miserable if you hate me. I can change if you want. I won't hurt anyone if you say not to." He sighed when he read that, and looked at her. Even though he could feel the sincerity, he still couldn't quite believe it outright. But he knew that wasn't because what she was saying was untrue.

It was just what he didn't want to _be_ true.

"Everyone deserves a second chance." He said, even though it practically tasted bitter in his mouth. "I mean, if you want to change then it would be wrong of me not to allow you to. You will have to apologize to Pyrrha though, before I let you anywhere near my friends. And I'll _know_ if you don't mean it."

She nodded, and smiled sadly. So they returned to their food quietly.

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 _ **[Archive Entry 0024] Inner-Kingdom Defensive Fortifications**_

Due to the nature, and unfortunate frequency, of Grimm incursions into settlements, it is common for Kingdoms and moderately sized villages and towns to have small 'forts' scattered throughout their internal structure. These forts serve as emergency defence hardpoints in the case of a Grimm attack, ammunition depots, and a sort of barracks for soldiers to stay at while not deployed outside the walls.

They are often also connected to the local police department networks, supplying officers with additional logistical support and an emergency contact in the case of any violent incidents requiring military intervention, like a terror event. They have also been known to function as contact points between militaries, both local and foreign, and local Hunters.

Larger fortifications often include civilian bunkers, in the case of dangerous circumstance as listed above. These are stocked well with food, water and emergency fuel generators. In Atlas, it is rumored that these sorts of bunkers are interconnected under restricted access. The Atlesian government has neglected to confirm or deny such things.

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 **Twisted ~ I hope you all enjoyed. Please be sure to leave a Review, let me know what you think. I always enjoy them and try to react to all of them. If you want to be added to my list at the top, head over to the Temple Walkers You. Tube and follow links there to donate. There's a thousand of you, so a dollar a piece could help me a lot!**


	24. The New Maiden

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 _ **Official Supporters:**_

 **SleeplessShippings**

 **Shadie**

 _ **If you want your name on the lists of my stories and videos, head over to P a t. R e . o n and search for the Temple Walkers. Just let us know you're from Fanfiction, alright? There's a thousand of you, so a dollar a piece would really add up and help me a lot!**_

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 **X3 Runner:**

 **Twisted ~ Good catch, ser or madame. Good catch. I had hoped that subtlety would be noted.**

 **Vanitas:**

 **Twisted ~ Could be, could be not. You'll have to wait and see, I do suppose~**

 **Snap Dragon:**

 **Twisted ~ Well, I mean, I suppose I see where you got that idea...**

 **Bad Humer:**

 **Twisted ~ Honestly? I used it as a segue. Sorry for that, but I needed the setups you know? I'll try to make up for that.**

 **Gizmo Gear:**

 **Twisted ~ Indeedily do~**

 **And a big thanks to all my other readers too! My editor commented on my drive to produce, and I must say that the positive responses I get so rapidly and completely are a massive part of that.**

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"Did he say where in the area the craft went exactly?" Ozpin asked politely, drumming his fingers on his desk and looking at Yang gravely. She shook her head, and he sighed almost tiredly. "It would figure that the White Fang would have a hideout or two there, I suppose. The city's innards make hiding and moving easy, even from the Grimm to an extent. And since they'd be unwelcome in Vale proper, it figures they'd go there."

"I can have General Ironwood send a detachment immediately, if you wish." Miss Goodwitch offered instantly, the older man shaking his head just as quickly and leaning back in his chair. He continued to stare at Yang and her team, the foursome shifting uncomfortably under his gaze until Miss Goodwitch spoke again. "Sir?"

"Have James conduct a military raid of the Emerald Forest. Make it appear as though we believe the White Fang to be there, to throw off the next stage of my plan." He smiled gently, and inclined his head at RWBY, "You have done very well, children. Now please, if all but Miss Belladonna could leave for now, we can discuss the next phase of the plan."

"Why do you want Blake to stay?" Ruby asked meekly, Yang nodding along to the question, "She's not in trouble or anything, right?"

"Of course not. I simply wish to discuss a few things with her, that is all." Ruby hesitated for a half-second before turning to leave, followed by her friends. After a moment, Ozpin stood and moved to the counter along his left wall to refill his mug and gestured to the open chair, "Please, Miss Belladonna, have a seat. We've an important matter to discuss, after all. You like tea, correct? Chamomile?"

She did as he asked, crossing her arms and looking at him warily, "How would you know that?"

"Cameras. Planted across the entire campus to monitor students in public areas, along with reports from your student account and your Scroll." Miss Goodwitch said simply, moving to stand beside Ozpin's chair and smiling thinly at her, "I assure you, we conduct the monitoring for student safety and the Kingdom of Vale. The reports are confidential, and anything unneeded is discarded or saved to a backfile."

"Two sugars and a drop of cream, if you would." she muttered, watching the Headmaster of Beacon Academy fix her tea of all things. He stopped to place the teacup on the table in front of her before moving to his own chair, and she watched him warily all the while. "Can I ask what this is about?"

"Your past, Miss Belladonna." Ozpin said simply, folding his hands in front of him and watching the girl flinch visibly. "Be calm, Miss Belladonna, you are in no trouble. I know what you've done in your past, and have made no move to report you. So relax, take a breath, and let us move forward."

She was quiet for a few moments, eventually taking the teacup and stirring the contents idly, "How much do you know?"

"We know that you were a senior member of the Vale branch of the White Fang ever since your childhood. We know that, as the violence escalated, you were integral to the planning the execution of two riots and a bombing event." Miss Goodwitch stated coolly, the Faunus taking a nervous sip of her tea before she continued, "We also know that you were unaware the plan for the bombing would be enacted. And that once you were aware of it, you were distraught. We are also aware that you volunteered for a raid on a Schnee supply train, and thwarted it and the bombing that would have followed, saving countless lives."

"And your reactions to these discoveries, coupled with your intervention against the latter event, is why you are here." Ozpin said quickly, not giving her a moment to speak for fear of her panicking and fleeing as he knew she tended to do from the same records he'd gained this information from. "If not for that, I'd have arranged your arrest before initiation and you'd likely be incarcerated even now."

"If not worse.…" she was quiet for several seconds, sipping at her tea a couple of times before speaking, "Why mention this now, though? If you already knew and didn't confront me more directly before, why do so now?"

"Because we want to involve you in a small force we will be deploying in a covert action against the White Fang in Mountain Glenn, leading up to the rescue operation of Jaune Arc." Ozpin said simply, the Faunus blinking in surprise and leaning back in shock, "We are aware of your… romantic involvement, I suppose I shall say, with Adam Taurus. Tell me, how would he react should you send him a message begging to come back to him? Saying how wrong you were, and how you see that now that you've been in the human world for a long enough time?"

"I..." she paused for a long moment to think, her eyes tracking back and forth rapidly as her mind raced, "he would likely arrange a retrieval for me, if I had proof that my defection had been a temporary… lapse in loyalty."

"Like your attempted assassination of a racist authority figure at Beacon, putting the woman in the hospital with grave wounds?" Glynda asked, raising and eyebrow and pressing a hand to her chest, "While I detest even a temporary charge of such bigotry against myself, it would easily do the job. Would it not?"

"No." She said instantly, the other two looking surprised. "Not on its own. I'd need to be arrested, tried publically, sentenced even. He'd need hard proof that it was true before acting. But once he was convinced, he'd come for me." She sat the teacup on the table and stared at the table, "I would have to lose my team, among other things. And be outed publicly as... as a Faunus."

"Sadly, that is precisely what we must ask you to do." Ozpin said quietly, watching her carefully before deciding how to phrase his next question, "We need you to understand that this is vital to the safeguarding of the Kingdoms, not just the Kingdom of Vale. All of them. You'd be a hero, a single person thwarting a threat to the Kingdoms in their entirety."

"Not that anyone would know." She said sourly, crossing her arms and almost glaring at the man, "And of course, it would make matters worse for Faunus in Vale. They will suffer for this, you do realize that, right? My people will get hurt."

"Hurt, but alive, is better than what awaits them otherwise. I would also ask if you know the names Amber, Summer, Tlaria, Janet…." she shook her head, confusion clear and mouth gaping slightly at Miss Goodwitch's words, "These are all people who gave their lives, and were forgotten entirely afterwards. True heroes don't require worship or praise for their actions. Which, I wager, is why you didn't step forward after stopping the train bombing."

"Which is, of course, beside the point." Ozpin interrupted, smiling warmly, "General James Ironwood's personal attendant, Specialist Winter Schnee, will be the one to save poor Miss Goodwitch's life from your vicious, unwarranted attack. You will then attack her, wounding her as well, and I will agree to hand you to him for trial- on the condition you be tried at an Atlesian-Valean Joint Force base."

"One coincidentally near Mountain Glenn, where the White Fang are currently based. While his forces raid the Emerald Forest, which is quite far from Mountain Glenn." Miss Goodwitch smiled almost wickedly, Blake's mouth dropping open further in surprise, "Due to the nature of the operation, he will trust Atlesian Knights to secure you while he personally leads the raid. And with Winter wounded already, or reported to be at least…."

"I'd be near Mountain Glenn, guarded only by drones, and proven to Adam as loyal to him." Blake finished, nodding as a grim smile formed on her face and she tilted her head in an almost impressed fashion, "That's… quite clever, ma'am. But what happens to me after?"

"Once the operation is complete, you will be exonerated publically. It will be stated that you were tricked, and that the details are classified for your protection." Ozpin said simply, spreading his hands in a regal and calming gesture, "And you will be welcomed to Beacon once more, as a hero to Vale and a show of what Faunus are at their heart. Heroes, like any Human could ever hope to be."

"You definitely know how to sell an idea, Headmaster." she said, smiling in a mildly amused way before sighing and nodding, "When do you want to put this plan of yours into action, then?"

"Today." Ozpin said immediately, opening a drawer and putting a small, red knife on the desk, "This has had blood placed on the edges of the blade, to serve as 'proof' of your crimes. Winter and several soldiers are waiting on the Bullhead landing pads. All I need to do is send her a message, and her soldiers will come to escort you out under duress."

"Alright." she said quietly, "But I have one request." He raised an eyebrow and she continued. "Tell my team what is going on. If I go to Mountain Glenn, they will try to follow if they think I actually did this. And Adam will slaughter them."

"Very well." He turned to Miss Goodwitch, "Once Miss Belladonna has been taken away, send for what is left of RWBY. Have them escorted here under guard, if need be." she nodded and he relaxed into his chair, "Then send for Winter, Miss Goodwitch. And thank you, Miss Belladonna."

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Roman stormed through the door as soon as Jaune opened it, Neo right behind him, and he turned to look at the taller man in confusion, "What's going on? Your agitation is making _me_ uncomfortable." He looked at Neo, and she shook her head and shrugged. A clear show of not knowing yet either.

"That dumbass, Ozpin." Roman grumbled, turning to look at him and plopping into a chair with his legs propped up on the table, "Junior says he got a report to a Huntress looking for you, and he's clearly reacting to it. So it got through." He waved his arms extravagantly and sounded exasperated when he spoke, "Except he's sent Atlas's fleet to the forest as far away from here as feasibly possible. In the Emerald Forest, instead of here in the damn mountains." " _What is that idiot even doing?"_ "Neo and I have our necks on the chopping block, and he's bombing the damn woods!"

"And you're sure he got the message?" Jaune asked, Roman nodding his head side to side in a 'yeah, pretty sure' kind of way, and Jaune continued, "Then we have to know more about what is going on in Beacon. Ozpin likes to use his own people for things, he had one training me personally for that reason. He wouldn't use the military-"

"Except as a distraction, maybe?" Roman offered, crossing his arms and nodding for a second while Jaune sensed his irritation fade, "But what could be happening at Beacon as the other play in this plan? It doesn't make any damn sense."

Neo tapped Jaune's arm after sitting down next to him, offering her Scroll to him with a news report on it that he started reading out, "Beacon Academy student Blake Belladonna was arrested today after assaulting the Headmistress with a specialised weapon. In an official statement, Headmaster Ozpin explained that the Headmistress had expressed concerns over the number of Faunus currently enrolled at Beacon, citing a worry over White Fang involvement." Jaune took a breath before continuing, smiling all the while as he began to understand what was happening, "Miss Belladonna, who had been making a report to them at the time, attacked the two of them. She managed to badly wound the Headmistress before Headmaster Ozpin engaged her, managing to contain her until an Atlesian force came to apprehend her. A trial is scheduled for two days from now, and is considered open and shut. An official statement from General Ironwood stated that if she is convicted, she will be executed for crimes against the state as per their political standing. In a more unofficial statement, he expressed the opinion that it is likely Blake Belladonna herself was a member of the terrorist organization."

Neo accepted the Scroll back, and Jaune looked at Roman when he spoke, "So she's part of the plan? How?" " _It doesn't seem connected to me…."_

"I don't know, Roman. But she has to be involved somehow, Blake wouldn't just… attack someone like that." he shook his head in disbelief, "That wouldn't make any sense. She's fought against the White Fang multiple times. She's a good person, I could sense it."

"And you can always tell good people from bad ones?" Roman asked, raising an eyebrow at him mockingly, "And yet you share a bed at night with Neo." " _And the bed better be all that you two are sharing."_ "You've never been wrong?"

"Not really." He shrugged, "I haven't had the Semblance incredibly long, but I'm usually spot-on with my guesses. Especially if I spent any time around a person, like I did with Ozpin. That's why I'm relaxed around Neo I guess, I… get how her head works, I guess. Hard to put it into words, sorry."

"Eh, I guess I can't judge." he shrugged, closing his eyes and leaning back comfortably, "If you can see into people's heads, makes sense that you'd be a bit naive looking." He held up a hand before crossing his arms, "No offence." Jaune could sense that he'd meant it, of course, but he decided to ignore it, "What do you think we should do about it then, oh great, wise one?"

"I… I don't know." Jaune sighed, crossing his arms and collapsing backwards onto the bed. Neo raised an eyebrow at Roman, who shrugged in return, and spun to sit cross legged and look at him.

" _You could be more helpful, you know."_ He heard her think at him, and wasn't that an odd thing to be used to. " _Guys that can get out of sticky situations are hotter too, you know. Might actually get laid if you could show that you had a pair."_

"Thank you, Neo." he drawled sarcastically, rolling his eyes but smiling slightly nonetheless, "As always, your mind is as in the gutter as it is useless. Thank you again for the commentary, though." He spared her a glance, the small woman smirking amusedly. "In all seriousness, though… I don't know. If we try something, it could ruin Ozpin's plans. Easily, in fact. His plans are always complicated, if you mess with them-"

"Cinder said that you needed to be ready to move in two days." Roman said quietly, holding his Scroll up and shaking his head, "Just got the message kid, and it says that they'll be blocking Scroll signals in and out until you're gone." " _If she suspects us, then I'm as good as dead."_ "So I hope our deal is set in Dust damn stone."

Jaune sat up, Neo looking at him in concern before twisting around to look at Roman and then back around to type at her Scroll rapidly. Jaune ignored her, looking at Roman's hard face. "It is. I gave you my word, Roman, and even if you're criminals, an Arc never betrays his word. Never."

The thief nodded and stood, walking towards them, "Good, now stand up Neo." She tried to show him her Scroll, and he pushed it out of the way and pulled her up to stand on the bed. "Now, Cinder was going to just take you at first, Jaune," he grabbed at her jacket, unbuttoning it and redoing it so that they were buttoned wrong, one dangling from the bottom and the collar riding up. "I convinced her to let you take Neo here, since you and her were sleeping together." He turned her around, untucking her jacket partially before reaching up to mess up her hair, "Just selling the image. You're not allowed to actually sleep with her, though. I'll kill you, if you do. Skin you alive and feed you to pigs, if I need to."

Neo plopped onto the bed when he was done, pouting and looking at Jaune. " _Tell him I'll sleep with you if I damn well want to. It's my choice and my choice only, not his."_

"Okay, first of all, I _think_ it's my choice who I sleep with too, Neo." He pointed at her, "She said to tell you that she can, um, sleep with whoever she wants." She thumped him on the leg and he rolled his eyes, feeding off her humor against his will and grinning slightly, "And she said to tell you in a significantly more sassy way than I am putting it."

He gave her cheek a pat and turned to walk away, chuckling, "I'll bet it was." After he plopped back into his seat, he laughed again, "Where were you when she and I first met? You would have been damn useful." " _Might have saved me a few bruises early on too."_ Jaune choked on a laugh, and Roman rolled his eyes, "Right. Mind reader, I forgot for just a second there. Forget that I said literally anything, I am very happy you weren't around us."

He nodded when he heard a light knock on the door, and Roman looked at him with a questioning look. He nodded, and Neo tucked against his chest and pushed him against the wall so they were practically cuddling, "It's Cinder." The fact that he knew that by sensing it went unsaid entirely.

At this point, everyone knew how he knew things.

Cinder walked into the room with a sway in her step, one that disappeared as soon as she saw Neo. Jaune sensed the assumptions she made before she spoke, "I see Roman's reports were true. Ah well, I suppose if Neo strikes your fancy," she shrugged and smiled, settling into a chair across from Roman, "I suppose you won't consent to departing unless Neo comes along then?" He nodded, and she sighed, "Ah, well, as long as it keeps you content and quiet." " _Men, all the same. Find the right pair of legs to spread for them, and they fold."_

Jaune wanted to argue, but bit his tongue instead, "I thought about your… offer, too, you know." She raised an eyebrow, and he coughed lightly to clear his throat. He had to sell it, after all, so it had to look hard on him, "I… I'll do as you ask."

Cinder looked surprised for a second, before a smile spread across her face, "I see. That's very good, Jaune, I am very happy to hear about your change of heart." She crossed her legs smoothly, not bothering to make a show for him anymore, "Your friend, Belladonna. Adam has… requested," " _demanded, more like, the animal.…"_ "that I see to freeing her from her incarceration. As you are joining with us, I supposed I will invite you to assist us."

"A-assist you?" He unconsciously tightened his grip on Neo's shoulder, the girl tapping at his knee nervously. "On a… like, in an attack?"

She nodded, smiling widely and looking friendly as anything he'd ever seen, "Oh, yes. To prove your loyalty to our cause." She gestured to Neo with a hand, "Oh don't worry, your... " " _Whore."_ "Friend will be coming with us. We'll need her help, after all." She raised an eyebrow and looked at her, "Will that be a problem, Neo?"

She shook her head against his chest, tapping Jaune's knee harder, " _Tell her she's a bitch, that I'll help her get the girl for you, and that if she looks at me like I'm some piece of meat to sell to you again, I'll kill her."_

"She, uh, says she'll do it." She jabbed him in the chest, and when he looked down he saw her pout, and tried to ignore that and the accidental show of cleavage from her position and where Roman had messed with her clothing, "Uh, she, um… it was a bit less polite than I said."

She poked him again, " _I saw you looking, perv. You want to see my chest, you have to get me and Roman out of here."_

"I'm sure it was." Cinder said, rising and moving towards the door, "If you fail to meet my standards, she will be the one who pays the price first. Followed by dear Roman, here," she trailed a hand along the brooding man's head, and he jerked away at the last second, "After that, I will start sending assassins for your friends. One. By. One. Then I'll deliver their heads to you, one after another."

"I get it, okay Cinder?" He interrupted, the woman's amusement and irritation echoing towards him, "I will do exactly what I say I will. You have my word. And an Arc never breaks his word."

"Good." She turned, striding out the door fully.

Roman rose and followed behind her, nodding his head politely, and Neo jabbed him again, " _I meant it, you save Roman and you can do whatever you want to to me."_ He rolled his eyes, and she jabbed him again, " _I just want you to promise to try, at least."_

"I promise to try, Neo." He said, leaning his head back and letting his arm drop behind her, "That's all, though, I can't promise to succeed." She gave him a pat on the cheek and he sighed, "Could you do me a favor? I'm starved, and I'm not allowed to leave the room-"

" _I'll get you something to eat."_ She said... well, thought, the idea still confused him a good bit.

He watched her leave and sighed, banging his head against the wall behind him, "Sleeping with an assassin, and now I'm going to be in an attack with terrorists…. Yay."

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Pyrrha stumbled slightly as the pod finally opened agonizingly slowly, Miss Goodwitch practically catching her as she stepped out. Ironwood stepped up on her other side and wrapped a strong arm around her, "Easy, Nikos. You've gone through an ordeal." She didn't respond for a second, staring at the floor and breathing heavily, "Nikos?"

"Hm?" She looked up, blinking owlishly at him, "Who?"

Glynda and James exchanged worried looks, the woman resting a hand on Pyrrha's shoulder, "Pyrrha, are you well?" The girl nodded, shaking her head after a second, and Glynda continued, "If you're well, we need to make our way to the infirmary to run some tests. Make sure everything went smoothly and get you some much needed rest."

The two helped her walk back to the elevator, James keeping an arm around her waist to keep her up while she stared at the wall. Glynda spoke first, as the elevator rose, "Pyrrha, how are you feeling? Any pain? Aches, perhaps?"

"I'm hungry, and tired." She admitted quickly, reaching up to rub at her eyes as a child would, "I'll be better when I get some sleep… ma'am." She smiled, nodding at her, "I'm sorry if I seem… out of sorts."

"Don't be, Nikos." She gave him a look and James' eyes narrowed slightly, but he chose to ignore it, "You went through two days of… I don't even know how to describe it, Pyrrha. But take your time. You have done us a service unlike any other, and will be treated as such." She hummed in response, and the two adults helped her through the mostly abandoned hallways in the late night's silence. Finally, they reached the infirmary and eased her into the bed.

A doctor in an Atlesian uniform started busily checking her over. Removing her armor and examining the skin, checking her pulse and then her eyes, before putting a line in her arm for Aura supplements and nutrients. A drone arrived with soup, and Glynda sat at her bedside and spooned food into her mouth, "Eat slowly, Pyrrha. You need to recover at your own pace, but as soon as you can, we need to begin testing your abilities."

"Alright." She murmured with a nod, James watching them and dismissing the doctor once his work was done. "I'll do as well as I can, ma'am."

After a few minutes, James opened his mouth and spoke, "Miss Nikos, what is your full maiden name? Where are you from?" She looked at him in surprise, as did Glynda, and he nodded apologetically, "Humor me, please."

"My name Is Pyrrha August, sir. I'm from a small village near Vacuo city…." She looked confused for a moment and shook her head, "Didn't you know that?"

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 **Twisted ~ Aaaaaaaaaand~ done. Hope you all enjoyed it, as always, please drop me a Review with thoughts, concerns, screams of utter agony… And also as always, if you want more chapters, longer chapters, and better chapters in general, please consider supporting me on my channel and through becoming a Supporter.**

 **In the near future, Supporters will get input on Fanfictions, Lets Plays and Original Stories. Higher ranked Supporters will also have a potential offer of voice roles in future projects in the latter category.**


	25. Happy Thoughts, Jaune

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 **APOLOGIES FOR DELAYS, I WAS SICK FOR MOST OF A WEEK AND DIDN'T NAUGHT DURING THAT TIME. SORRY**

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 **Twisted ~ Dah. Seemed a less common event to have happen compared to the others I considered.**

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Neo was watching Jaune pace with a raised eyebrow for a long time, his armor clinking and tinkling quietly on the stone floor with the barest movements in the silent room. They'd already discussed things, and both were convinced that he had no choice here. Even Jaune hadn't thought of the idea that Cinder might present a test for him, and the fact that Blake was apparently involved in it now thanks to Ozpin meant he had to take part in it. Jaune looked up when he sensed a person he hadn't felt before - in the time he'd been here, he'd grown quite familiar with each and every person's 'feel,' if not them as a person - and sat in the chair quickly. More to _look_ at ease and relaxed than to actually _be_ either of those things.

Neo crossed her legs and leaned against the wall at the head of the bed, her parasol leaning against the bed right next to her, within easy reach in case Jaune tried anything or the visitor that was coming did. He gave her a slight nod of his head when he sensed her intent, and the door opened.

Jaune felt Neo's panic when a black suited man stepped into the room, turning only slightly to close the door before moving to take a seat. The man sat quietly for several long seconds, Jaune staring at his mask and 'listening' to his irritation and anger echo at him 'loudly', before he spoke, "So you're the new human Cinder was so determined to obtain?" " _He doesn't appear too impressive. Odd. For all her faults, Cinder doesn't seem to be a fool who would waste her time…."_ "Why did she want you so badly? And why is she so insistent that you and this…" he took a moment to look at Neo and sneer slightly, " _girl_ should come with me to rescue Blake?"

"She didn't tell you?" Jaune asked before he thought about it, the man drumming his fingers on the table's impatience echoing out as he hummed in response. "Well, uh, no offence, but… if she didn't tell you why, then I won't. She could kill Neo if I upset her."

The man sighed, nodding as more anger echoed outwards from him, and Jaune looked at Neo for a split second. "A valid concern. Unfortunately, I don't care for your pathetic concerns." He laid his hand on the hilt of his sword and leaned forward, grinning threateningly, "You will answer me, or I will cut her throat myself."

Jaune almost flinched at the threat, but… he could sense the man's fear of Cinder. He knew for that reason that he was lying through his teeth. So he decided to at least pretend to be as formidable as Cinder seemed to have implied, "No, you won't." He opened his mouth to speak, but Jaune continued before he could get a word in, "You're terrified of Cinder, and you know that she has to have offered me _something_ to get my cooperation. I don't know how she bought you, but for me the price was the safety of people I care about. Neo is one of them, and is under Cinder's protection if she wants me on her side. You hurt her, Cinder will have to come down on your head or mine."

" _Don't antagonise him, Jaune, he's dangerous."_ He heard Neo think at him, turning his head to give her a look and shaking his head, " _Jaune, I'm warning you. Don't say I didn't warn you. Roman told me to warn you if you started anything with anyone."_

He almost chuckled at her before he caught himself. He could, practically in some ways, literally in others, feel the guy was almost as dangerous as Cinder herself was. A sort of sense of the skill and experience rattling around in the other man's head. But it was too late to back out now, and he very much wanted this man not to know about his abilities.

"Cinder wouldn't harm me, I'm the only one keeping the White Fang working under her. She even dares to look at me wrong, and I could ruin her entire operation. All without lifting a finger." " _No matter how much more successful we have been in our ventures since she took over as leader."_ He smiled and leaned back in his chair, clearly sure of himself to anyone that would look at him.

Except Jaune.

He could feel the doubt, anxiety, and even fear that the man felt. The man was lying again, this time about his own position in his organization, and its success. He also had an image in his head, a memory or something like it from the man, of Cinder standing over White Fang bodies and shaking her head at him in disappointment.

So Jaune decided to keep pushing, against his better judgement and Neo's practically screaming at him. "That's a lie, and you know it. Cinder could wipe you all out to a man if she wanted, and it would only slow down whatever plans she has." The man's scowl was visible even with the mask on, and Jaune was almost half as amused as he was terrified right now. "Everyone is just help to her, and you know that. Without you, she'd still accomplish her goals. And you'd get nothing while she did it."

He watched the man's jaw work for a long time, before Jaune was actually surprised by something.

He _smiled_ at him, crossing his arms and nodding appreciatively. "I can see some of why Cinder values you so much. You're perceptive, and you have the brass needed to stand up to someone literally threatening you." He stood, hand resting on his blade as his smile fell, "However, insult me or the White Fang again, and I will take your head regardless of what you _think_ would happen, Arc."

He slammed the door as he left, and Jaune left out an exasperated, terrified breath, before looking at Neo, "See, everything is fine."

She threw a pillow at him, and he laughed, the endorphin and adrenaline of dealing with someone like that giving him a high.

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Pyrrha flicked out a hand, and James watched the fire arc out from it and sear into the wooden dummy. It was reduced to ash in mere minutes, and the young woman continued on to the next target while James turned his head slightly to speak to Glynda. "I understand the concerns over her mental state, but ev ery test we know of shows that she is sane. It seems to simply be a merger of the two minds' memories, nothing beyond that."

"You don't know that." She snapped back, tapping her foot anxiously and watching Pyrrha train her new powers, "She doesn't even remember her own family, James. Her mother could be here right now, and Miss Nikos probably wouldn't even recognize her."

"And you don't know that, Glynda." James countered easily, gesturing at her with a hand and crossing his arms, "Neither of us knows, and the discussion can only really go that far." He watched her incinerate an armored target easily, the same armor as a Paladin was meant to carry melting almost uselessly into the floor, "I have one of my most trusted scientists on his way here. An Aura specialist, particularly in synthetically moving Aura from one subject to another."

"A specialist?" She mutters in in confusion and discomfort, shaking her head slightly, "How could anyone be a specialist in _that_?"

"He's the one who designed the machine we used for the transplant."

"I see. And the technology was untested?" She asked quietly, the man turning and looking away uncomfortably. An act that made the smaller woman all the more concerned, "James, tell me you didn't test this on some innocent soldier or something."

He was quiet for several seconds before succumbing to her glare, sighing quietly, "A young soldier who was injured on her first mission. She was declared brain dead, and her will dictated her body was to be donated to the Atlesian Special Sciences Division." She sighed angrily, turning and taking a step away with a huff, "She has no memories of the girl's life, not even the barest hint, and the personalities are different. The ASSD gave her the name Penny, and she took the lead scientists surname."

"Dust, James…." She turned to give him a stunned, almost horrified look, "Polendina, yes? That sweet girl… you people _created_ that in some lab?"

"We created _her_ , yes, Glynda." He corrected quietly, turning to look out on Pyrrha once more, "I have spent some time around her. She's not a thing, she's a person. While I don't like that her creation had to occur, we needed it in case something like what we had to do here occurred. And I will not hold it against her."

"You care about her?" She asked amusedly, raising a thin eyebrow at him.

"She's… she's a good soldier, and a sweet kid." James admitted, nodding and looking at Glynda, "I won't hold what she is against who she is. Hell, people doing that _caused_ this whole problem to exist in the first place."

"It is good not to be judgemental, James." She agreed, nodding her head lightly, "Even _if_ she is an abomination, she can't help that." He almost argued the point, but elected against it instead, "The lead scientist, her 'father' as she calls him, is being vetted for a higher clearance level. Soon, he will come here, to help us… deal with this problem."

"Do you think he can even begin to accomplish anything?" Glynda asked quietly, stepping closer to him and leaning her shoulder against his chest comfortably. "What if…. what if Nikos's condition is degenerative?"

"We'll handle whatever may come." He said simply, watching Nikos plop onto a bench across the room and chug from a bottle of water, "And this man is brilliant, he'll find out something. I am sure of it."

"You'd best be, much of Remnant's fate rests on his success, I fear." She said quietly, closing her eyes and letting her head rest on his chest for a few seconds before pushing off him and straightening, "I must go to Ozpin, help him coordinate the operation with Miss Schnee and Qrow."

"Have a nice evening." He said awkwardly, the woman smiling and nodding before turning and heading towards the elevator. "Have a nice evening? She's planning a damned raid, you moron…."

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"But Blake didn't _do_ anything!" Ruby squeaked again, eyes almost watering while she hugged a pillow to her chest, "She wouldn't hurt anyone that didn't deserve to be hurt, and even then she wouldn't try to…."

"To murder them?" Weiss finished easily, prime eyebrow arched while she sat on her bed across from Ruby, "She's White Fang. They kill people, Ruby, it's kind of part of being a terrorist." She sighed and shook her head, "I should have known better than to trust a Faunus so easily…."

"Really?" Yang asked quietly, leaning forward from her spot on Ruby's bunk. Weiss gave her a look and she sighed, dropping down, "Blake wouldn't hurt a fly unless it was a Grimm, or some creep in a mask. Something else is going on here, and it smells fishy."

"Really, Yang? Cat puns? Now?" Ruby asked, sounding as frustrated as she sounded upset.

"What?" Yang blinked a couple times, arms dropping to her side before she shook her head, "No! I… that was an accident. I meant that something feels off about this." She looked at Weiss, laring slightly, "Put aside the racism for a second-"

"It's not racism!"

"Yeah, it is." She said simply, ignoring the heiress's huff of aggravation, "Anyways, think about it for a moment. Blake is smart, even if she _was_ a terrorist, she'd have been smarter than that. Hell, even I could come up with a better plan than charging someone who is probably the second strongest person in Beacon."

Weiss's jaw worked for several seconds before she sighed, crossing her arms under her almost nonexistent bust and glaring at the blonde, "Then what, pray tell, is the truth? What happened up there?"

"I don't know." Yang admitted after a moment, sitting on the floor and crossing her legs. She stared at the ground for several seconds, a fist working into her palm absently, "I know what they reported. I know no one has seen Miss Goodwitch since, and a room is guarded in the infirmary." She looked up at Weiss, eyes flashing between red and lilac warningly, "And I know that despite a certain Schnee's ingrained prejudice against her, Blake is a good person. She didn't do what they say."

"So, in your head, the Headmaster of Beacon Academy warrants no trust? Not even as much as a confessed terrorist?" Weiss shook her head and stood, heading for the door, "I shall be in the library while you two moan about the injustices of facts."

She slammed the door, and Ruby turned silver eyes onto her sister, "We have to help Blake, right?"

"Yeah." Yang agreed, nodding slowly and standing, "But… I don't know how to do it, I don't even know where to start." She taps her foot on the ground a few times before snapping her fingers, "Let's ransack the Headmaster's office."

"That's a terrible idea."

"Only one I've got."

"That doesn't help, Yang."

"Nope."

Yang smiles at Ruby, and the small girl sighs and stands, "Fine, but I swear, if we get caught-"

"It'll be fine!" Yang crowed, grabbing her and pushing her towards the door, "Now come on, we have to get our weapons."

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Glynda made it two steps out of the elevator when Ozpin spoke, "Miss Rose and Miss Xiao Long are intending to break into my office to see what happened to you." She stopped and looked at Ozpin's smirking face, his fingers drumming on the desk in front of him idly. "What would you recommend we do about this?"

"Security forces should intervene and prevent them from discovering our plans." She said simply, walking towards the desk and taking a seat across from him, "We can't risk their intervention in the execution. It would be disastrous."

"It _could_ be, yes." He hummed for several seconds, watching his Scroll and drumming his fingers on his desk, "However, if we deployed security drones and they fought, they would face expulsion. I would be compelled to do so."

"True. But the fate of Belladonna's mission surely outweighs their standing in Beacon, Headmaster." She shrugged simply when he raised an eyebrow, "I don't think they would blame us either, if they knew that their actions could result in her death."

"True. But they don't, and so we could lose a very valuable resource if this goes through normal channels." He sighed, leaning back and folding his hands together while he thought, "I suppose we could send some teachers to stop them, keep the reports off the record. Or blame their reactions on Miss Belladonna's apparent betrayal."

"This is where you tell me that Bart and Peter are waiting for them in the armory, isn't it?" She asked tiredly, shaking her head.

"No, it's when I tell you they were taken to their room under the two's guard." He said with a shrug, "I merely wanted your opinion on the situation. And to see how Miss Nikos is faring in her training."

"Her control of her new power is exemplary, likely due to whatever happened to her mind during the transfer." Glynda said quietly, crossing her arms and turning her head to look at the blue sky through a the glass along the side of the office, "Her ability is without question. Her mental state, however…."

"I understand James is obtaining an expert in this particularly small field to help us." Ozpin said simply, shrugging and looking down at his Scroll, "It would be best to let things go until the person arrives to tell us what exactly occurred. It would be unfair to all involved not to do so, James included."

"James brought the equipment that caused the problem."

"James brought what I requested, nothing more. And did so under great risk to himself and with great secrecy within the Atlesian military. He never fails us wherever he can help it, and I trust him to do his best here as well." Ozpin leaned forward intently, looking at Glynda with great concern etched into his face, "Why don't _you_ trust him?"

"I do."

"Then this is no issue." He said simply, leaning back again, "Have patience and faith with our organization. We will find out what is happening to her, and help her through it. I swear this to you."

"I understand." She said quietly, folding her hands in her lap politely, "Is that all, headmaster?"

Ozpin watched her for a long moment, he knew she was irritated with him. "I need you to discuss funding for the Dust needed to run Amity for the Vytal festival. I also need you to discuss security forces for use by the Atlesian military with James, I have a meeting with the Council of Vale scheduled to get the funding needed. Forward me price estimates for everything, and I will see what can be done."

"Yes, Headmaster." She stood and walked to the elevator, and Ozpin watched her go.

After a few moments, he sighed and stood, "I hate this job sometimes. Always, people take everything I do so… personally."

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Yang huffed, stomping into her room and plopping onto her bunk with a small scowl. Ruby followed her, sitting next to her larger sister and kicking her feet in boredom and concern. Eventually, she spoke up, "I told you we'd get caught."

"Okay, you can shut up."

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Jaune finally laid down when he felt others doing so, placing a bet internally that when most of the White Fang were laying down to rest was a reasonable gauge for the end of the day. Neo joined him a moment later, her back pressing against his slightly in the too-small bed. He closed his eyes, trying to force himself to rest amid the noise before everyone's dreams started flaring up around him. The White Fang grunts had an awful number of nightmares, every night, and that made it hard to get to sleep once they started.

" _Worried about the raid?"_ He heard Neo think at him, sighing quietly.

"Little bit, yeah." He admitted after a second, shrugging even though he knew she was looking away. "Never done anything like it, you know? Plus, when it's over, I'll officially be a criminal. At least for a while."

" _Being a criminal isn't so bad, you know. Besides, criminals are hotter."_

He rolled his eyes and chuckled, "Because you have such an unbiased view of being a criminal, right? And is your every thought about how hot people are? Nothing more important is rattling around up there?"

" _You're really going to ask that? You? Of all people?"_

"Good point." He admitted, laughing out loud for a second before letting out a sigh, "I know what you're doing, talking to me like this. Trying to make me feel better. I appreciate it, Neo."

" _Does it even work when you know I'm doing it?"_

"It's the thought that counts." He joked, smiling to himself and turning his head slightly, "Get it? The thought."

She reached behind herself to thump him lightly, but he could sense the amusement she felt. And feel her shaking slightly against his back besides, " _That was a terrible pun, Jaune."_

"The best puns are the worst ones." He shrugged, and the duo fell quiet after a moment. Jaune could sense that Neo was uneasy, just like he was, and sighed, "Are you nervous too? You know Blake is probably part of the plan to get me back to Beacon."

" _If I'm not here, who will protect Roman?"_ He felt her sag slightly behind him, and sighed sadly, " _I won't even get to see him again. That bitch's plan will get him killed, I just know it. Hell, it's probably_ part _of her plan."_

"It probably is. If I could steer a conversation in the right direction and get her to focus on it for a second, I could probably find out." He rolled onto his back, staring at the blackness above him, his arms crossed behind his head under the pillow. "She's pretty good at thinking of just… nonsense."

" _It's fine. Even if we could get him out, he'd just go to prison."_ She shrugged, tucked against his side, " _He hates the idea of that more than anything else. Even dying."_

"Not for the reasons you think." Jaune said quietly, before he thought about it. She turned to look at him, braced up on her arms with bright pink eyes boring down on him. He gulped nervously, "He, uh, he's more worried about leaving you all alone. But that won't happen. I'll protect you, as long as you cool it with the, uh… blood and torture."

" _I will. If you tell me to, I have to."_ She laid back down, this time with her head on his chest. " _You'll abandon me if I don't, and then I'll have no one. A mute girl isn't very attractive for a friend."_

He gave her a pat on the head, cautiously putting an arm around her, "Things will work out, I hope. And if we can, we'll save Roman too. I'll figure out something with Ozpin to make him protect you both."

" _You just want to screw me."_

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 **Twisted ~ Aaaaaaaaaand~ done. Hope you all enjoyed it, as always, please drop me a Review with thoughts, concerns, screams of utter agony… And also as always, if you want more chapters, longer chapters, and better chapters in general, please consider supporting me on my channel and through becoming a Supporter.**

 **In the near future, Supporters will get input on Fanfictions, Let's Plays and Original Stories. Higher ranked Supporters will also have a potential offer of voice roles in future projects in the latter category.**


	26. The Raid

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 _ **Official Supporters:**_

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 _ **If you want your name on the lists of my stories and videos, head over to P a t. R e . o n and search for the Temple Walkers. Just let us know you're from Fanfiction, alright? There's a thousand of you, so a dollar a piece would really add up and help me a lot! Once I reach five hundred Supporters of any value over a dollar, I will make a concerted effort to put out a chapter of something once every three days at the very slowest.**_

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 **Lord Red Knight :**

 **Twisted ~ Yeah, I prefer complicated, human characters myself. One dimensional ones… annoy me. Like, a lot.**

 **Brown Teddy Bear :**

 **Twisted ~ Lol**

 **NinjaFang :**

 **Twisted ~ Danke.**

 **Disciple of Khaine :**

 **Twisted ~ Nope~ Wonder why. XD**

 **Zenith Tempest :**

 **Twisted ~ Trust me for a few chapters more, my friend. You shall see why that happened.**

 **Blasing Fire :**

 **Twisted ~ As you will see, her mental state is weird. Neo's, I mean. How I am building her is based on my studies in psychology, so please. Be patient. As in, patient until you scroll down, probably.**

 **Mangahero :**

 **I certainly wouldn't turn Neo down. XD**

 **Too-Lazy-To-Log :**

 **Okay, so, a lot to address. First off, really quickly for you, I did skip most of the 'bonding time' shown in the show. I always feel like regurgitating time already directly tread in-show is kind of a waste of time. We all know how these things went. Why waste literal weeks for you guys on things you already know?**

 **As for his abilities, the ability to sense Grimm kind of goes without being said. But Jaune's uses against people outpace that. Beacon stood for decades or maybe even generations against the Grimm. People brought it down. Ozpin knows and understands that Hunstemen defences thwart the Grimm threat. But terrorists? Spies? Saboteurs? Huntsmen don't train for that. They train to slay monsters.**

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Pyrrha was sitting alone in their dorm room, chin resting on her knees that were tucked against her chest comfortably. The others were away at breakfast, promising to bring back food for her afterwards. They'd all been dismissed from classes for now, due to her 'condition' and her partner's kidnapping.

And her training, of course. Not that she really seemed to need it all that much. It all felt so natural, her abilities working easier than she had even thought possible. So why did she feel that odd… emptiness? Longing? She couldn't phrase it when asked, and she'd _been_ asked several times by the professor and Headmaster Ozpin.

She was missing something, something at the back of her mind. Whenever she would reach for it, as she did now, her head would ache and the familiarity lurking there would vanish. Holding up a hand in front of her face, a small flame flickered to life weakly. It clutched at her fingers, her Aura sustaining the flame like kindling.

The door to her room started to open and she clenched her fist, the flame wrapping around her hand before vanishing entirely. Nora and Ren stepped through, the former bouncing into the room with a tray balanced on her head. "Heeeeey Pyrrha~! We brought you pancakes!"

"Are you feeling better, Pyrrha?" Ren asked quietly, taking a seat next to her and leaning against her shoulder lightly. Familiarly. Comfortably. She leaned back against him, smiling lightly and nodding. That felt right and wrong, and she had trouble placing either of these feelings where they should go. "Are you hungry enough to eat?"

"If she's not I'll eat them all~" Nora quipped, wagging her eyebrows at her from the bed opposite.

"She will." Ren warned, smiling warmly and plucking the tray from the ginger's head. "You'd better eat, she probably can't contain herself for much longer."

"Thank you, Ren." Pyrrha giggled, accepting the food gratefully. It didn't quell the hunger, the fire in her chest, but it helped. Having friends did too. "Is there news about Jaune as of yet?"

"No." Ren said quietly, shaking his head and grimacing, "Nothing has been said, though what is left of RWBY are confined to their dorms after trying to raid the headmaster's office for some reason."

"And they didn't ask us to help?" Nora sighed, laying across the bed with a flop, "So rude~"

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"So no one will be here? It'll just be me and security mechs?" Blake asked watching the Schnee pace along the inside of her cell, so she'd only been here for a little while. Perks of not actually being a prisoner, she supposed.

"Yes. All Personnel will be evacuated, we don't want anyone to be listed as a casualty after this operation is complete. It will make it easier to reintegrate Arc if he doesn't actually get anyone killed." Blake nodded, even if she didn't much like the Schnee, she could at least trust her enough not to get her own people killed or disobey orders.

"I suppose that makes sense, at least from a military standpoint. I don't suppose that they're using stun rounds, so that they don't hurt anybody?" She raised an eyebrow smiling almost sarcastically, though part of her did hope that was actually true. The older woman shook her head slightly, frowning as always at the question, and Blake sighed. "It was only a joke you don't have to stare me down like I'm some sort of criminal."

"Technically, at least officially, you are a criminal." She smirked slightly, raising an eyebrow in a way that Blake and started to come to understand was an amused expression. Blake rolled her eyes, and the lieutenant huffed and turned around, arms clasped behind her back in a classic military stance, "Once you are taken, make contact with Arc as soon as possible. You will have around a week, and then Atlesian forces will begin making operations and preparations to raid Mountain Glenn. during the battle, whenever you can manage it, you are to make your way to the surface and head north. Qrow will be waiting for you, and will escort you to a rendezvous point."

"And after that I'll be recognized as not a criminal? I would very much appreciate not being a terrorist you know." The Schnee nodded curtly and stepped from the cell, the heavy door slamming behind her heavily.

And now Blake had to wait, until something happened. What did that was the White Fang showing up and attacking to 'save' her from her perceived captors. Or whether that was going to be them abandoning o this plan entirely, because it wasn't working and no one was coming. Either way, she done her job exactly as asked. And in the end that's all a Huntress had to do in a world like this.

They could have at least let her keep her book, though. She felt like that was normal for prisoners to have. It wasn't very likely that anyone would question that.

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"You are lucky." Cinder started smoothly, sitting across from him in the same small Bullhead as the one they'd used to kidnap him in the first place. "I had to convince Adam to let us use our own transport. He was… hesitant to trust us off by ourselves." " _Typical racism shown, I shouldn't have expected any better."_

"Did you expect any better? I mean, even if they feel justified, they're still terrorists at heart." Jaune shrugged, Neo cuddling up against his shoulder like always, staring at the woman. He rolled his eyes when she thought of a very rude comment and asked him to make it for her, " No, I'm not doing that. I happen to like keeping my face intact, thank you."

Cinder raised an eyebrow and smirked at him, leaning forward and grinning, "You can tell me what she said this time, and I won't bite you for it." " _Her, on the other hand... I might burn an eyebrow off. Maybe a leg. As if she didn't already have a big enough handicap."_ She leaned back and chuckled when Jaune grimaced, a hand raised and fire flickering dully in her palm. "If she can't stand the heat…."

" _Just because I'm named after ice cream doesn't mean that I can't stand the heat."_ Jaune looked down and saw Neo snuggling against his chest comfortably and sticking her tongue out at Cinder. The girl caught him looking, and smiled impishly, " _You keep staring at my tongue like that, and I'll think you want me to use it~"_

"I really, really, really don't want that. I promise, Neo, I really don't." Neo pouted at him slightly and he rolled his eyes. He gave her a light pat on the head as he looked across at Cinder again. "Why arrange this if you were going to rub it in my face later? Kind of gets rid of the charity of doing something if you keep bringing up the fact that you did it."

"Oh I wasn't doing it for charity. I don't do anything for charity, you more than anyone at all should be able to tell that I don't do anything for charity. Ever. This is all to gain your loyalty. None of its charity, not even letting her tag along." " _Especially not letting her tag along. I almost can't stand her as much as she can't stand me."_

"Um, I don't think you quite understand how much she can't stand you." Cinder raised an eyebrow at him and smiled, and he shrugged. Neo shifted, laying her head on his lap over his sword and sheath, using the weapon as a sort of pillow. Cinder smiled and watched her do it, and Jaune rolled his eyes, her mind racing with accusations and ideas. How to use them, how to manufacture a few more of them. "I'm a mind-reader, and read into things as much as you."

They rode in silence for several more minutes with the craft rocking back and forth as the wind buffeted it, Jaune reach down to toy with Neo's hair boredly. It was a habit that he'd been picking up from her lately. She liked to play with her own hair whenever she was nervous, and he'd kind of absorbed that from spending so much time alone with her.

He didn't just absorb what he wanted, apparently, he just kind of pick things up as he spent time with people. It was kind of annoying, now that he thought about it for more than a second.

" I don't think I've ever told you why we're trying to do what we're trying to do. Have I?" Jaune looked across the interior of the craft curiously, raising an eyebrow at her, " Do you even know? Why Adam fights? Why Ozpin fights? Or does your gift not reach that far?"

He tried reading her thoughts and intentions, as he always did. Trying to figure out what she meant. But, as usual, she was very good at hiding what she meant when she said things. At least internally- better than he was, that was for sure. She'd always seemed to be able to read him in ways that made him, a man that literally read minds, almost jealous.

"No. It wasn't on the surface, so I couldn't tell. Couldn't read them, so to speak." He sighed, shaking his head tiredly, hands still going through the girl's hair. "Unless people think about what I want them to tell me, I can't exactly pick it up. It's a bit of a drawback, I guess. But you already know that. That's how you hide your intentions from me so well. You just think of other things. Distract yourself, I guess. I don't know how to phrase it."

Neo tapped his hand, trying to get him to play with it some more- something she'd actually started enjoying a few days back. Normally she only really let Roman play with her hair, but he wasn't really allowed to do it anymore. Sighing he started playing with it again half-heartedly. Eventually she gave up and sat upright next to him, crossing her arms underneath her breasts, pouting slightly.

"Like a child, isn't she? She always pouts if she doesn't get exactly what she wants, when she wants it, and how she wants it. It would be pitiful if it wasn't so annoying." " _I'd have killed her a long time ago, if it wasn't for Roman. The man's useful enough to us make her annoyances a necessary evil."_ He glared at Cinder, wrapping an arm protectively around the smaller woman next to him, and Cinder chuckled slightly. " Don't worry. She's more than safe, now. Even when Roman is not useful anymore, you will be, so I can't exactly hurt her, now can I?"

" _You can try bitch, I'll cut your throat if you so much as lay a hand on me. And if you're really unlucky, I'll get my hands on you for a nice amount of time, and you know I like to take my time."_ She poked him in the chest, demanding with her thoughts that he actually try to relay the message somehow. Of course he shook his head no and, and ignored the request. She pouted some more. " _You're making me think you don't want to sleep with me, being so rude like this."_

"I do want to know why you fight, why the White Fang fights. How do you justify what you do to people, what you're going to do. You have to have some reason right?" he leaned forward, folding his hands together in front of them into a large fist. "I'm not going to accept it if you just say that you have your reasons. You're trying to convince me to join your side, so convince me. Don't try to bribe me, don't try to threaten me, don't try to threaten my friends, convince me."

" I thought you had already agreed to join me?" She raised her eyebrows at him, tilting her head slightly, "It doesn't matter, I suppose, you would want to know eventually. Might as well start now. As for me, I've seen what the Grimm do to people. My entire village was destroyed, and your Huntsman didn't lift a finger to help. We called, we used the radio that we were given, the radio people like Ozpin told us to use. No one came."

Cinder looked at the cockpit door, chewing on her bottom lip slightly, and he took the chance to try reading her impressions. Try to feel if she was trying to deceive him. She wasn't, she was being as honest as could be, as far as he could tell. Not that she hadn't tricked him before, even if it wasn't for anything malicious. "So what do you want then, to take revenge? How does that make you any different from the Grimm? Or the Huntsman that ignored you, even if that is exactly what happens."

"Because Huntsman, the Grimm, the Kingdoms, even the council and the civilians. They're all symptoms. Part of a disease, a blight on the land, on the planet. The way things are is not how they should be, and they can be better than they are. My mistress has promised that she will make changes." She gestured at Neo with a wave, smiling almost sadly, "Even she is part of the problem, a victim of it, whichever you prefer to look at it as. People are usually both, really. I'm not an exception either." " _Even if I am trying to make a change, I'm still a selfish creature. Another symptom of a dying system."_

"And, wha, you're a hero then? Just a good guy trying to save the world? I don't buy it." Jaune raised a hand, palm towards her when she tried to speak. "There's procedure for that. Politics, the military, being a Huntress. There's a dozen and more ways that you could do what you're wanting to do, or do what you say you want to do, without having to resort to... terrorism."

Neo watched, listening intently, trying to get a read on the discussion herself. Unfortunately she was never the best at associating with other people, understanding what they mean and why they say something. Instead she tugged on his sleeve, the young Huntsman looking down at her with a raised eyebrow, " _Do you even believe her, or are you just humoring her at this point? 'Cuz I don't believe her or what she's saying. I don't trust her as far as I can throw her. And I'm very small, I can't throw things very far."_

" Little bit of both, Neo. I'm saying if she gave me an honest answer. She at least seems to be trying to do that, but I don't know how honest it actually is." The older woman across from him raised an eyebrow, crossing her arms under her chest, "What? Do you honestly believe that I would accept whatever you told me at face value?"

" _No, not really, but it would have been nice if you had. Easier, in a whole lot of ways."_ "I'm not telling you things to make you believe exactly what you're told me. I may want my subordinates, even Neo and Roman, to obey without question whatever I order them to do. But that doesn't mean that I want that for you, you're too dangerous for such a position." " _I keep them in the dark and demand absolute obedience because of their… nature as a throwaway tool."_ "You are not throw away I can't just use you up and be done with you. That is not in the nature of what I need you for. And besides, you'd be able to tell if that was going to happen."

" _I'm not expendable…."_

"They aren't expendable, no one is. We are all people, and we all have value. Honest, human, all of us. How do you expect to change the world if you can't accept the people in it?" Cinder looked offended, or shocked, he couldn't tell and he sensed both emotions off of her in varying amounts. " Or is that a symptom too?"

He felt the craft tilt harshly thto the left, the hull pinging and dinging, metal obviously bouncing off of it. Neo almost fell, landing on a hand and using it to spring herself up before grabbing onto the handles along the roof safely. Cinder and Jaune each stood, grabbing handles of the room, the latter throwing an arm around the smaller girl to hold her there. Protectively.

She let go of the handle, wrapping her arms around him and using him as an anchor rather than the handle. Distantly, he could hear her attempt to make more jokes about their position, but the harsh tilting and turning of the craft prevented that. As they descended The sounds intensified, metal striking the outside of the ship in a clear attempt to keep them from actually reaching their destination. Crocea Mors almost escaped his grip, his hands barely hanging onto the sheathed weapon.

The ship shuddered when it hit the dirt, the back ramp sliding open onto the back of a tree. The plant cracked and snapped under the weight of the metal. The young knight clamored over it and up the ramp, dropping to the ground behind it. The two women joined him a moment later, falling beside him and looking around. Their transport lifted into the air a short amount of time later, angling and flying off to safety. It would be needed later, if they wanted to leave. In the air around them, they could see a dozen more of the same sorts of ships, each having deposited an assortment of soldiers and terrorists to do their duty. At least, that's what they'd call it; he was certain of that.

He drew his sword, raising his shield protectively as he watched the forest. It was almost warm with men and women in their black and white uniforms, firing rifles, shotguns, and more ahead of them. One faunus, the only one that hadn't seen it coming, was cut down a stream of fire and dropped to the ground.

Cinder raised a hand in front of him, a shield of flames leaping out and spinning about before him. Rounds slammed into it, disintegrating into nothingness and sending vapor into the sky, spiraling above them lazily. "This is a war zone, Jaune. You need to pay attention, I won't be around to protect you the entire fight."

"What are we supposed to do? No one told me what we were supposed to do, so what now?" She rolled her eyes, letting the arm drop in the shield with it. Neo stepped past them, crouching behind the tree, her eyes watching for any threat that might come.

"That's the beauty of it. You do what you want. Advance with the common rabble, protect them if you want… well, if you can. Or you can just push through, cut down the enemy and take the day. Either way you can end the fight. But I'm not going to tell you what you can do, or what you should do. I won't hold your hand." She flicked out both hands, her wrists twisting slightly as fire danced down her arm. Two black and silver daggers formed, one in each hand, and she held them almost elegantly. "You go out there and fight, and everyone in every Kingdom will know you as an enemy. By the end of the day, your loyalty will be known one way or the other." " _And if you happen to betray me, I will burn everyone I even think you care about. And that is a promise. I always keep my word."_

"All right." He stepped forward, kneeling behind Neo and resting his right wrist on her left shoulder. She turned her head slightly, just enough to get an eye on him. Bright pink stared into blue, and he chewed on his lip nervously. "We have to end this fight, or people are going to die. So, I'm going to charge up the hill. Will you follow me?"

She smiled almost sinisterly, flicking her umbrella in front of her and using the open umbrella as a shield. He opened his mouth to warn her when he saw rounds ripping the dirt apart in front of her, but they bounced off the shield almost as easily as his own shield would have done. In front of them, forward and further up the hill in the trees, White Fang soldiers exchanged fire with whatever was at the top of the hill. Three of them, two men and a smaller woman. The two men each had small ram horns on their heads, and the third had antlers kind of like a deer might have. Neo stepped to the right, standing in front of the woman at Jaune's urging her to do so. He stepped in front of the other two, using his shield and body to block for them.

"I have Aura, and I don't think you do. Neo and I are going to push up this hill, I need you to follow us. We're going to break into whatever fortifications are up there, and we're going to secure a foothold." The group hesitated, the two men looking to the woman almost as though asking for permission. He got the impression that she was the one actually in command here. The uniforms, wisely enough, didn't really seem to imply anything about it. "I won't make you follow me, but I need the help. And we can stop a lot of your men and women from dying."

"Fine." She admitted, looking to the other two and shaking her head slightly, "Follow his lead, cover the advance if you can. I don't want either of you dying for a human though, so don't do anything stupid." " _I'm not losing any of my men. Not here and certainly not for human. I don't care how important that woman feels he is."_

He almost argued, mouth open, before he turned away and rushed forward through the woods. Rounds ricocheted off his shield and Aura as he ran, digging into the dirty around him. He used his Semblance to follow the movements of the White Fang behind him, making sure to stay in front of them the whole time. Eventually he crashed through a branch, swinging his sword around and decapitating a silver drone before he landed, half rolling and half falling onto the paved ground. He sensed Neo land near him, and looked up to see her legs wrapped around a drone's head while she stabbed it in the back of its metal skull skull gleefully. Smiling, he felt something new wash over him from her. His head lolled to the side, eyes drooping closed and sword limp in his hand.

One of the sliver drones turned from the perimeter barricade ringing the compound, and Jaune slammed his shield into it, knocking it down and using it to bludgeon its head a dozen times. Neo leapt over him, tackling another and slicing its head cleanly off. The White Fang soldiers leapt over the barricades a moment later, an action mirrored by more squads all along the perimeter, and Neo spun on her behind. Turning and crossing her legs, brown eyes watched Jaune tear apart the machine with a wide smile beneath them.

"This how you always feel when you fight?" The small girl and nodded, practically bouncing on the machine's chest in excitement. "I kind of... like it.…" He turned as another droid approached, impaling it and smiling slightly. He yanked the blade free, shoving the body to his right and slamming his shield forward and into the next, knocking it down and slamming a boot into its head. "I like it a lot."

Neo smiled, standing beside him and watching him closely.

The rest of the fight was quick and brutal, even if it was only machines trying to stop them from getting to where they wanted to be. The base wasn't all that large, just three large square buildings in the center of a small perimeter wall that went up to around a person's waist. Each corner of the buildings inside of the compound had small cannons. Tri-barreled, anti-air batteries that were mainly meant for keeping away smaller enemies that the larger surrounding fortresses let slip by in the air. Odds were good they were never intended to defend against a full-on military landing like this.

All the better for them.

Through the entire fight, against his will and against his nature in many ways, he found himself enjoying the violence. Neo stuck near as well as she could, enjoying watching him almost as much as she enjoyed participating the actual fight itself. An odd and new sensation for her.

Once the fighting was over the blonde sat on a wall outside, staring into the woods and drumming his hand on the shield at his waist lightly. More to ignore the thoughts of the terrorist surrounding him than to relax, really. He couldn't truly do either in any case. Adam approached him from behind, Banesaw trailing along off to the side.

"Arc. Cinder wants you with us when we open up the cell and free Blake." " _I suppose more friendly faces are a part of it."_ Jaune nodded, grimacing and standing before turning to look at him. Adam's jaw worked for several seconds before he held his hand out to the knight, "You did well, and protected my men. More than can be said for Roman or Cinder." " _Human or not."_

Jaune took his hand after a moment, shaking it gently. The Faunus turned immediately, walking back the way he'd come. Jaune spared Neo's smirk a glance and rolled his eyes, "What are you grinning for?"

" _Just that now_ I _kinda wanna sleep with_ you _~"_

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 **Twisted ~ After this weekend, so starting in September, we'll have our rent-a-studio back. So any channel subs can expect a lot of uploads, hopefully, on YT. Going to try and get a regular schedule for these chapters running too, if I can.**


	27. Movements

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 **Twisted ~ I have heard many, many complaints and concerns regarding timelines. As I said, I try to make it clear without stating it that this is mainly 'starting' for real after the dance. I skipped schooling time, and hope you understand and accept the decision.**

 **In this chapter, I am trying a day progression system. Each jump in 'scene' shifts the time forwards in the day. Morning first, progressing longer into the day with each 'shift'. Toss me thoughts on it.**

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 _ **Official Supporters:**_

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 **Scott USA :**

 **Glad you enjoyed it. Genuinely. Hope you continue to enjoy future chapters.**

 **Siriusly Grim :**

 **I'm glad you read this as well, friend. And yeah, I try my hardest to make sure not to lose the trees for the forest, so to speak. Doesn't always work, but such is life. Keep moving forward, right?**

 **Ember Frame :**

 **Draw to your heart's desire, my friend, just get me a copy, lol. That'll be one for the pat page.**

 **Wolf Blade :**

 **Many people want Neo to fuck many others. Jaune included, and I am rapidly becoming one of them. I did not begin this intending the ship. *Le sigh***

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Pyrrha smiled to herself, rocking about gently with the horse's swaying movements and looking at the trees around her, across the open fields where the wilder forest met the more tamed grass. Prepared for farming, whenever the time came, or left to become wild once more when a nearby village was abandoned due to a Grimm threat, she couldn't tell. A part of her, the more civilized part the Human from Vacuo? It was pleased by the order, the promise of food and celebration when the seeds bore fruit and the harvest came in.

The not-quite-magic part of her? That part of her destroyed and replaced by the Maiden's gifts and curses? It was pleased to see nature taking back what was stolen from her. A conflict in duality, and one she felt accustomed to.

She pulled at the horse's reins, eyes narrowing at a small girl sitting alone in the middle of the road. Crying. No sign of parents anywhere near here, or anyone else at all. Just a small girl, crying alone in the middle of nowhere. Looking from side to side, she saw no sign of a trick, or an ambush. No bandits with anxious new blood on the front lines shifting in the bushes, thinking they wouldn't be seen by "anyone except a Huntress." Those were common on these older, more remote roads. Half naked women weeping and crying of rape, dressed up men and women acting as routed soldiers and flagging down people for aid, and lost kids hurt on the road.

She took two steps and the girl looked up, her legs pulling against her chest and lips quivering naturally. Too naturally for her to be in on a trap, she'd be more panicked if she were kidnapped. She smiled, walking towards her and taking a knee in front of her, watching for any shift in her posture or hint that someone was coaching her. A father, perhaps, who'd had a child and decided to use her as bait. She'd not respond with fear towards a parent, but she would look for him as a guide.

The girl shifted away, looking first at her and then at her horse. Her eyes widened slightly at seeing it and a small smile threatened to break before she returned her eyes to Pyrrha's, and the Maiden's mind was made. Not a planted child, a stolen one or anything of that sort. "Are you alright?" She whispered, reaching behind herself and fishing out an apple, offering it to the girl with a smile, "Are you hungry?"

Behind the girl, a cloud of dust was tossed up, and the maiden's eyes shot to it as the girl reached for the apple. She looked at the girl, and leapt back as the child vanished from her sight.

Pyrrha shot up in her bed, blanket flying across the room and hitting the wall in a ball, pushed onwards by air currents she hadn't meant to summon or direct and lit by flames that smoldered it slightly before dying. Nora and Ren were on their feets before the blanket had slid all the way down the wall, eyes hard and fists raised defensively. Looking for all the world like they were ready for battle, unarmed and half naked as Nora was and entirely unarmed as Ren was.

Nora, at least, had her fists and muscles the size of a baby's head.

It took them only a moment to look to Pyrrha, curled into a ball in the corner of her bed, forehead pressed against her knees and legs tucked against her chest. Her shoulders shook slightly, and Nora went to her side, wrapping an arm around her gently. She flinched and looked at Nora, eyes watering slightly before she leaned into the crook of her neck and let out a shaky breath, "I'm sorry… I didn't mean to…"

"Pyrrha, since when can you light things on fire?" Nora asked quietly, reaching up with a hand to brush at her hair gently, "Since when do you have nightmares as well? You never did before Jaune..."

"Was taken." Ren finished, sitting at the end of the bed and leaning his elbows on his knees, looking over at his nightstand and checking the time. Only six in the morning, on the nose. He sighed. It had been such a nice, quiet day too… "Your semblance is Polarity, Pyrrha. Not… fire manipulation, or wind manipulation, or anything else you've been displaying over the last week. What is going on?"

Pyrrha was quiet for a long time, and Nora almost opened her mouth to yell at Ren. Tell him not to push her when she was like this, and that is when Pyrrha spoke, "I'm not allowed to tell you… Ozpin said I couldn't, or it would risk your lives."

"We're student at an academy to kill monsters, and have trained for a decade already to that end." Nora said brightly, Pyrrha looking up at her bright, smiling face beaming down at her, "There is absolutely, positively nothing you can tell us that would be more of a threat than our day jobs are."

Pyrrha pressed her face harder into Nora's neck, taking in a long breath before speaking, "We have to go to Ozpin, I… I can't explain it all the right way." Ren looked at Nora, and nodded, and the ginger gave the redhead's shoulder a comforting squeeze.

"We'll go see him in the afternoon then." Nora said happily, "Today we're having a slumber party! Ren, go get us some pancakes!"

"It'll be ten before they're done… And it's morning already, you can't have a slumber party in the morning, Nora."

"The Queen has spoken!" Nora squealed, bouncing on the bed next to Pyrrha and making her do the same with the arm wrapped around her shoulders. Ren just sighed tiredly.

"I'll be back in a little while." Left unspoken was the instruction he had for Nora. She smiled at him, and he nodded at Pyrrha. She smiled and nodded back, completely understanding the instruction.

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Jaune, Banesaw and Adam stood in front of a large, heavy cell door. Thick, made of solid steel and bolted on all sides with a small electronic lock. A soldier was kneeling, a small computer propped in his lap while he tried to open the door. It had been almost an hour already, and when Jaune turned his head he could see Neo at the end of the hall, laying down with her legs on the wall like she was sitting on the floor, only turned on the side.

Finally they heard a muted buzz, and the Faunus short, poofy tail whipped to the side, "Got it." " _About damn time too…"_

Adam pushed him aside impatiently, the wiry man stumbling at the force, and Banesaw caught him with a single meaty arm. He grunted a, "Good work." And nudged him away, the Faunus making his way down the hall towards the exit.

Adam's fingers wrapped around the door handle and he jerked his head at Jaune, the large Banesaw stepping beside him and resting a hand on his shoulder threateningly before Adam looked at him. Unsaid was the obvious.

A trap on the other side of the door would make him their enemy, and he'd be the first body on the floor.

It swung open onto the bland, almost empty cell, and he felt Adam's relief when Blake spoke, "Adam? You came to get me?" " _Ozpin told me you would, but after the train…"_ Disbelief hit Jaune along with relief and trepidation, and Adam stepped further into the room, watching her closely and working his fingers along the sheath of his blade. "Adam?"

"It's… good to see you're alright, Blake. When I heard what had happened, I started making preparations to come and get you." He visibly stiffened and stared into a corner, anxiety rolling off him, "If you do not wish to stay with the White Fang," " _With me,"_ "I have made will be taken to your family, under White Fang guard until you reach them, and protected."

He felt Blake honestly consider it for the shortest moment as she stood, fingers barely holding her off the wall she was leaning against, "I don't want to leave." " _If I leave without Ozpin's help, I'll be a terrorist for my entire life…"_ Her eyes fell on Jaune, and she played the part of being surprised, leaning forward and tilting her head slightly, "Jaune? Jaune Arc? Is that actually you?"

"Uh, yeah. Hey, Blake?" He said awkwardly, smiling nervously, "How, uh, how you doing?"

" _I'm at an Atlesian outpost, in prison, that was just attacked by White Fang terrorists… I'm doing just perfectly."_ "I'm… Well enough now, I suppose, all things considered." She said quietly, looking back at Adam with a raised eyebrow, "You admit Humans into the White Fang now, Adam? I thought you were against the idea."

"I am." He grunted, shoulders relaxing and smiling softly as he let the idea of her staying sink in, "He is one of the pawns of an… assistant we have joined with, for lack of a better term." " _If what that woman does could count as assistance in the end."_ "He works for her, and came with us to help with your rescue." Neo chose that moment to round the corner ad hop on Jaune's back, wrapping her legs around his chest and pressing her breasts against the back of his head, "Her too." " _As much as she annoy everyone I know."_

"I see." Blake muttered quietly, "I thought he'd been taken against his will?" " _If he hasn't been here against his will… Ozpin needs to know."_ "Was that a ploy then?"

"Don't know for sure." Banesaw interrupted in his gravelly voice, jerking his head at the girl on Jaune's back, an odd sensation flowing from him whenever he looked at Blake. "She was assigned to stay with him by the bitch, though. Rumor says they're in bed together now." " _I doubt he'd screw the midget if she was his kidnapper."_ "Other than that, we don't know the specifics. Just that she took him from Beacon."

" _He's sleeping with her? I definitely need to pass a message to Ozpin."_ She looked at him, eyes appraising him closely, and he tried his best not to blink or react to her. He had to pass muster in front of the other two, that had priority for now, "I see. Well, so long as he is useful, I suppose I see no harm in letting him help us." She smiled cockily, resting a hand on her hip and cocking it slightly, "I always told you we should admit Humans who were sympathetic to our cause."

Adam grunted, turning to address Banesaw instead of Blake's comment, "Have the men hurry and finish looting here, we have to get out of the area before Atlas' response forces show up to investigate why the base went silent." " _They'd have arrived already if the base had gotten of a distress signal."_ "Weapons and ammo, then armor and rations. Set bombs as we leave, same as always."

"Understood." Banesaw grunted, pushing past Jaune and out the door. Jaune could hear him barking orders from the end of the hall and shifted uncomfortably.

"Should I…?" Jaune started, gesturing at the door in a way that asked if he should help Banesaw in some way.

"No." Adam grunted shortly, sighing and looking at him, "Banesaw... Distrusts you. He thinks you're hiding something from us, something dangerous. Honestly, he thought you'd betray us when we got to the fort." " _As did quite a good number of others… Or me for that matter."_ "Give him air and space, to accept that you didn't, Human."

"Not all Humans are evil, Adam." Blake said quietly, grimacing when his head snapped to her.

"Says the woman who attacked Goodwitch?" He asked hotly, sighing when she looked away bashfully and sighing, "I… am beginning to see that Humans can be trusted, so long as they're under our rules." He looked at Jaune, inclining his head indicatively, "Yo ad no reason to help my soldiers, after all. Cinder certainly did not do so."

"I'm not like Cinder." Jaune grumbled, Neo poking his head until he looked up, pink eyes staring at him close enough that their noses touched. He could sense her teasing tone behind it, and simply raised an eyebrow. "What?" She shrugged, pecking him on the cheek and dropping off of him, bouncing on her feet next to him and looking at Blake curiously, "Neo, could you behave for three seconds?"

" _Nah~!"_ She quipped to him, shaking her head and bouncing closer to Blake.

"Um, hello?" The Faunus murmured when Neo got close to her, their noses nearly touching. Blake's bow twitched on her head slightly and she looked at Jaune over the smaller woman's head, "Jaune? A little help?" " _This girl is very strange..."_ "What is she doing, exactly?"

" _Getting to know her."_ Neo answered, stepping around her quickly, looking her over, " _Roman partnered me to you, she's your friend, so she's my friend too unless she causes you problems."_

"That's her way of… getting to know you, I guess." Blake raised an eyebrow and tilted her head, opening her mouth to say something just as Neo stepped behind her and reached around her stomach to squeeze a breast.

"W-What the hell?" She practically squeaked, spinning and kicking the girl. Neo shattered at the impact, and Jaune felt the girl land on his shoulders, sitting comfortably and folding her arms over her head as a pillow while she giggled muely. "You little…" " _The bitch just groped me!"_

She looked to Adam who, while looking and feeling to Jaune as pissed as Bake was, simply shook his head and sighed, " _That_ is why everyone finds her so annoying. She likes to get under people's skin." " _The situation hardly ever matters really…"_ "She lacks any decorum, respect or discipline at all."

" _I think he just wants to discipline me~"_ He heard from Neo, kicking her feet gently off his breastplate. He looked up at her, the girl grinning at him like a cheshire cat, " _Aren't you going to defend me?"_

"Don't look at me, you're the one who molested someone." He said with a sigh, trying his best to ignore the thighs on either side of his head. And failing, of course, which he could sense was the girl's intent from _doing_ it. "You should apologize to Blake when we get back and you have your Scroll."

"She won't." Adam grunted with a sigh, turning and walking towards the door, "We have much to do before the Atlesians show up, or worse, the Grimm." " _I don't have enough Huntsmen trained warriors to stop a Grimm assault."_ "We need to take what is ours and leave, before we are attacked."

Jaune and Blake followed him, flanking on either side and the young Arc carrying the smallest of them on his shoulders. The two followed Adam past White Fang soldiers carrying damaged drones that could be salvaged, weapons that could as well, and loading them into crates and then bulbous transport ships. None acknowledged them as they walked, and Jaune understood from their thoughts that it was because Adam would dislike it.

A small ship was waiting slightly further away from the others, the one that he'd initially rode from Beacon. Outside it, Emerald, Mercury and Cinder were milling about, and the latter smiled at his approach, Jaune, dear. Tell me, how did everything go?" " _Well, I suppose it went as planned, since Adam didn't gut you and you're still here."_

"He helped us take the base, and locate Blake. As planned, Cinder." Adam runted, gesturing at the suddenly anxious young woman behind him before turning around. "Let's go, Blake, I need to reacquaint you with our protocols. Things have been…. Updated a fair bit, since you left us." " _The less said on that departure, the better…"_

"One thing before you go, Adam." Cinder said quickly, smiling warmly when the Faunus turned to look at her, "We are moving up our departure. We'll be leaving immediately, not the end of the week. My Mistress has commanded it, and so we must comply." " _Just in case Belladonna isn't quite the defector you suspect."_

Jaune swallowed nervously, and could feel Neo's steadily growing anxiety echoe into him, feeding off it and growing more worried himself. ,"W-Why are we leaving so early? I had hoped to stay with Neo a little longer in our room."

"Did you forget? I said she could come with us when we left." She smiled, and Jaune grimaced lightly. "And I'll make sure you have a private room, just for the two of you, when we reach my Mistress' palace. One does not keep the Queen waiting." She strode toward him, laying a hand on his shoulder, " _Our_ Queen, now, Jaune. I will insure that the whole world knos where your loyalties are." " _If you don't want villages across remnant to burn, that is."_ "I do hope you hadn't forgotten my offer." " _Or my threats behind it."_

He _had_ forgotten she'd said those, for just a moment in the heat of the fighting and... everything after. Unfortunately for him, she hadn't.

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Raven Branwen sat on a rock, legs crossed and fists resting on them while she watched the White Fang mill about the base. Her masked face turned to watch Tai Yang smash a leg down and crush an Ursa's skull in, Qrow spinning his scythe to bypass its other easily. He saw her looking and smiled widely, flashing a thumbs up at her. They were in a small clearing, barely four feet in any direction and easily hidden from the White Fang far below and far they hadn't even been able to hear the gunshots as more than muted heartbeats, banging away in the forest and against the trees like ribs.

She jerked her mask back to face the base, smiling thinly despite herself beneath the mask, "They are almost done with the base and will depart soon, I feel." Tai plopped down at the base of the rock in front of her and grunted, "You were slower in that fight than I remember, Tai Yang. Stumbled no less than five times from what I saw, and allowed the Grimm to land seventeen hits."

"It's been… a very, very long time since I went out into the field." He said, sighing and scratching his head with a chided smile, "I kept in shape, training and all that, but… It's not the same as Hunting, you know?"

"Told you you'd get rusty, holed up in your house and only ever fightin' your kids and whatever pathetic pack of Beowolfs showed up nearby." Qrow grumbled, planting his scythe in the ground with a twirl and leaning against it, fishing for his flask with his other hand, "Tried to get you out with me, too, but you were always 'busy'."

"I was 'busy' with my family, Qrow, and you know that." He argued quietly, crossing his arms and leaning his head against the rock with his eyes closed, "Someone had to cook their meals and tuck them in at night, and I'm the only one who was available."

"Not the _only_ one, Tai." Qrow grunted, tossing his sister a meaningful look that she ignored, "And I know you did. I put food in the _fridge_ and you put it on the table. Worked wonders on 'em, and now they're all growed up."

"They're still small." Raven said quietly, shaking her helmeted head slightly, "Weak, and small. If you'd let me take Yang, then she'd be able to-"

"I said you couldn't have her unless you stayed, and meant it." Tai Yang growled roughly, eyes scrunching in anger even though they were still closed, "I don't regret it, and would do it again. _Bandits_ and _murderers_ aren't among the people I want near my family, Rae."

Silence reigned for a few moments before Raven spoke again, quietly, "Are you ever going to tell her that that is why I have never spoken to her?" Her red eyed helmet turned to stare down at his closed eyes, and he cracked one to look at her, "She is my daughter, I do not wish her to think that I hate her."

"Leave your band of murdering psychopaths, and help Ozpin bring them all in, and I'll let you tell it however you want." Tai Yang said tersely, smiling pleasantly and looking her in the eyes. He couldn't see them, of course, but knew where they were. "That was the deal fourteen years ago, and is the only one you will ever, ever have."

She snarled quietly, turning to look at Qrow beside her, "And you? Will you leave my daughter to hate her mother because of er father's lies?" He shrugged uncaringly and the woman stood, "Then perhaps Ruby _Rose_ would like to know about a few other of his lies."

Her hand flicked out, a portal bursting to life behind a tree to hide it, and Tai Yang bolted upright and grabbed her wrist, "The only reason Ozpin doesn't hunt down your _family_ himself is because of my word. A favor to me." His eyes were hard and face tense, his voice matching, "You leave now, and I will tell him to slaughter them all."

"There are innocents among us." She murmured quietly, jerking her hand from his grip, "Women who are nothing but wives, men and women both who are just healers and menders of equipment."

"They treat men and women who slaughter _actual_ innocents, sleep with them, and help them stay armed and ready to do it." Qrow said lowly, sighing and shaking his head with arms cross, "According to international law, which has jurisdiction here, unless they are slaves - which I know they aren't, I was with them just like you - they are aiding and abetting. Just as guilty as if they'd acted themselves."

"Every single Kingdom would dispatch Hunters and soldiers alike, hunt them down, and execute them all." Tai said lowly, glaring at her and taking a step back, "And I wouldn't lose a wink of sleep. Wiping them out would save hundreds of lives, if not more than that."

"Fine." Raven finally relented, staring at the ground with trembling shoulders, "I will hold my tongue, for my family. Because that's what families do. Sacrifice, for one another." she met Tai Yang's gaze once more, "Compromise, when people disagree."

"You left my family a long time ago." He said simply, shrugging lightly and turning to head into the woods. "You're always welcome to decide to come back, but you know what you'll have to _sacrifice_ for your daughter."

"Like Qrow did?" She snapped lightly, drawing her blade and following him at a small distance, shooting her brother a heated glance from inside the mask.

"Yes." He said simply, rolling his shoulders and slamming a palm into his fist, "Now come on, we have to make another round before they leave, at least. Make sure they get out without any holdups, Ozpin can't keep General Iron Dick back forever." He hesitated for a moment before speaking again, "I'll… At least let you have some new pictures, you probably don't have any fresh ones."

"...Thank you, Tai." She said weakly, sighing and drawing a fresh Dust blade from her sheath.

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"Straighten your back." Winter snapped, stepping in and wrapping an arm around Weiss' chest to hold it still while she used the other to adjust her waist. She stepped back, appraising Weiss' ready stance as she circled her, "Better."

"Thank you, Sister." Weiss said appreciatively, smiling in spite of her burning arm, though despite the fatigue she made sure Myrtenaster never shook.

Winter hummed a response, circling for another minute before smiling herself slightly, "You may rest now, Weiss." The girl let the rapier drop, shoulders bobbing slightly and breathing heavily, smiling at her sister widely, "You did well, Weiss. Better than before, if not yet perfect. You are improving splendidly at Beacon, and I am glad to see it."

"I am trying my best, Sister. My team is helping me in every way they can. One of them was helping me get better on my endurance… problems." Weiss sighed slightly, sliding Myrtenaster into her belt and straightening, "She's… been distracted lately, unfortunately."

"By Belladonna's betrayal?" Winter asked quietly, watching the younger Schnee grimace and cross her arms under her bust.

"I should have known… Father was right, Faunus can't be trusted." Winter's smile died instantly, settling into a stormy look that Weiss couldn't see with her back facing her. The younger girl walked to the end of the small patio, looking out at the forests far below the cliffside, "This room is wonderful, I didn't even know it existed."

Winter hesitated for a moment before smoothing her face into a calmer expression, clasping her arms behind her and moving to join her sister, "It is a small, personal dining room for the staff and visiting officials to meet and talk." She looked at her sister, eyes searching her face as she stared at the shifting trees in the moonlight, "Father was not right, Weiss."

"But Blake-"

"Is a terrorist, yes. But not because every Faunus is evil, or cruel, or backwards. Not innately." She sighed, watching Weiss' shocked face for several seconds before unclasping her arms, sighing, and leaning on the windowsill to look out on the forest, "There is but one creature who is truly innately evil, vile and twisted. The Grimm. People, Faunus included, are… complicated."

"That's not what Father says." Weiss argued simply, turning to look at the forest, "He says they are liars, thieves, and killers. Blake lied about what she was for _weeks_ , Winter. Weeks. Then, she fled and too k refuge with another Faunus named Sun, a thief. _Then,_ later, she attempted to kill Headmistress Goodwitch." She turned bodily to look at Winter and the older Schnee matched the movement, "She's a liar and a killer, and Sun is a thief that she stayed with. I guarantee he bought her food and drink with stolen Lien, and that makes her a thief as well. So, Sister, where is he wrong?"

Winter was quiet for a long time before sighing, starting to unbutton her dress coat, "Do you remember my first operation, as a Junior Specialist?"

"Yes." She said confusedly, watching her sister shed the coat and start unbuttoning her dress shirt, "I remember you took months on it, and couldn't tell me why. Father was furious that you were gone so long, but he wouldn't say why either."

She shed the shirt, laying it on the chair pressed against the wall with her coat and looked at her sister, standing only in her black bra, "My mission was classified, and still is. I can't give you any specific details. Do you understand me, Weiss?" The younger girl nodded, and Winter turned around.

A lattice of scars stretched across her skin, thin pink lines in the pale flesh starting just under the collar of her shirt and jacket and just above her waist. They were, all of them, no more than two centimeters thick. Most, though, were as long or wide as her back, depending on if they ran horizontally, diagonally or vertically. In the center of her shoulder blades, a fist sized pink scar sat. Weiss' jaw dropped, a hand reaching out to touch the largest scar almost disbelievingly.

"What happened?"

"I was captured." Winter explained simply, eyes squeezed shut and breathing shakily, "They took me into an old warehouse where I was deployed. They kept me down there, chained, and starved me for weeks. When they finally gave me a bowl of broth and bread…" She sighed,m shaking her head and looking over her shoulder to see her sister's face, "It was laced with a very rare toxin named Metocilia. It stops Aura regeneration for weeks, and all it takes is a few ounces for the effect to last the duration."

"Once they were sure I'd eaten a few day's worth of meals dosed with it… They came in, seven of them. Overpowered me, dragged me to another room. They beat me with rods and chains until my Aura shattered, then choked me into unconsciousness," She reached down and picked her shirt on, pulling it on and buttoning it up as she turned, "I awoke in my pants and my pants alone, tied with my chest against a metal slab. A woman came in, explained that they knew who I was. A Schnee. She… told me she was sorry, that she understood I wasn't my father."

"Why was she sorry?" Weiss asked quietly, hands clasping under her chin anxiously. Part of her knew why, the scars had come from somewhere and Winter hadn't told her where yet.

"She said that the men had wanted to… use me, send me to Father as a message." Winter smiled almost appreciatively and sighed, "She had refused them that, said it was barbaric. Instead, she said, they'd cut me." Her hard eyes met Weiss' trembling ones, "Aura can heal wounds and prevent scarring even when it's down. Did you know that?"

"Yes… Professor Peach told us about it, said that's why Hunter teams were issued stabilizing kits for Kingdom missions." Weiss said quickly, the academics slipping out in a rush on instinct. She smiled apologetically at the elder Schnee's amused smirk and raised eyebrow, "I… pay attention in the medical courses."

"You enjoy them." WInter observed, before her smirk vanished, "But back to my story. A simple cut won't, usually, scar unless the Aura is blocked from healing it. Psychology can affect it, which is why some wounds scar." A hand reached out to brush at Weiss' own scar over her eye, "Sometimes, we want them."

"I didn't-"

"It isn't conscious, Weiss, and I approve. It suits you." The had dropped, ad Winter plucked the coat from the chair, "The other way is to have the same wound inflicted, over, and over, and over. For weeks longer, I stayed on that slab. And she cut me, let the wounds heal over partially, then cut me all intersected at the center of my back, making one large scar. That woman, I never learned her name before my trainer finally found us and slit her throat. She was a Human."

"What does that have to do with the Faunus?" Weiss asked quietly, the elder Schnee smirking again.

"The man who saved my life, who disobeyed orders to consider me dead and return to Atlas?" She raised an eyebrow and crossed her arms beneath her considerable bust, "He was a Faunus, one who'd lost everything to our company as a child and risen above it. He was almost discharged for what he did, saving my life."

"A… Faunus…" Weiss' eyes widened and she looked up at Winter in realization, "After that mission, you and Father started having your disagreements. You were disinherited officially a week after returning home. Because you…"

"Fought with him over the Faunus?" She smiled warmly, almost laughing at the memory, "Yes. I refused to allow him to talk down on the man who had risked _everything_ to save a woman he barely knew beyond the fact that her family had ruined his own. Simply because he had a tail."

"I…" Weiss sighed and grimaced, "I understand, Sister. Father… I suppose what Blake did shook me, made me think in the wrong way."

"It is understandable, Weiss." Winter said quietly, looking at the girl for a moment before stepping forward and wrapping her arms around her. Weiss stiffened in surprise before she laid her head on her sister's chest, smiling and closing her eyes, "You were hurt by your friend's actions. Or who you thought was a friend, at least. But you can't allow what one does to affect your beliefs about everyone."

"Like Father does." Weiss agreed with a sigh, the elder Schnee pulling back. "Thank you, for correcting me, Sister."

"I didn't correct you." She said, gripping her shoulders in her hand, "I told you a story. Go to the barracks, pick a soldier, and ask him for one? You might hear one like mine, or the opposite of mine. _Make your own beliefs_ on the topic, Weiss. Not Father's and not mine, but yours."

"I understand, Sister… Thank you."

Weiss smiled, and Winter stepped back, clasping her arms behind her back, "You're welcome, Weiss. Now, shall we get some food, and practice your forms some more? Your foot spacing still requires work, it's far too stiff."

"Yes, Sister." Weiss smiled, looking at her, "I would appreciate the instructions, Sister."

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Jaune smiled unconsciously, Neo's head resting in his lap. The small girl, exhausted after the fighting and travel, had curled up with her forehead resting against his stomach shortly after their second trip began and fallen asleep. He'd wrapped an arm around her upper back to keep her there and started playing with her hair idly, both of which had roused pleasant dreams from the girl.

Which he, of course, was privy to thanks to his power. Neo had known that and gone to sleep there anyway, uncaring about it entirely. He… appreciated the kindness of it. The acceptance of what he could do.

"She's almost pleasant when she's sleeping like that," Cinder said almost sarcastically, legs crossed where she was sitting across from him and arms crossed under her bust. She was still wearing the dress she favored, and smiling cockily, "Do you enjoy her sleeping there?" " _I would suppose you are used to her head being there at least…"_

"She's dreaming, pleasantly, and I like it." He said quietly, looking at her flatly, "Please don't wake her up." He couldn't help but blush at her implication though, if only slightly, and Emerald laughed at the end of the crafter, sitting by the exist.

"What?" She asked when he glared at her, smiling widely and raising an eyebrow, "You act like such a virgin, for someone sleeping with the little psycho." His jaw worked slightly, a muscle bulging on his chin for a moment, "Oh? Did you forget what she did to your friend, the redhead?" " _Cut her up like turkey."_ "I have pictures, if you-"

"Enough, Emerald." Cinder chided angrily, glaring at the girl balefully before looking to Jaune, "I'm sorry for her." " _I'll strike her, if you wish."_

"She's…" Jaune sighed, shaking his head, "As long as she doesn't wake Neo up, she can say whatever she damn well pleases." He looked at Emerald meaningfully, "Do that, and I'll smack her myself a few times."

"As if, you-"

"He will." Cinder cut across her, the young woman looking at her in surprise. "With my permission. Behave, Emerald, he's not your colleague." She smiled, a wicked thing on her face which was cold where warmth ought to have been, "He's mine, as of the moment we left the continent. And that makes him as much your superior as I am, dear Emerald." " _Whether he wants to be, or not."_

Sensing the stopping of Neo's dreams, he looked down at her. Pale white eyes shone at him, and he allowed the hand that had fisted in her hair unconsciously to relax. She reached up to give it a squeeze before snuggling back into his stomach and closing her eyes again while the blonde went back to playing with her hair.

Cinder was smiling even wider when he looked back at her, and he grimaced.

She'd trapped him pretty damn well alright, but he'd be damned if he didn't get _something_ from this. The girl in his lap shifted slightly and sighed contentedly, and he smiled as her dreams began to return.

Even if what he wanted was hard to get, or a bit broken in a few ways, he'd be damned if he didn't get it.

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Salem turned to Watts, "Has everything Cinder recommended we purchase arrived yet?"

"Mostly, your Grace. The sped up timetable does mean a few items of less import are not going to be here, sadly." He sighed, hands spread apologetically and smiling thinly beneath his moustache, "I do apologize, your Grace. I will, of course, do my very best."

"As always, Doctor, as always." She said quietly, watching the Beringels carry in the furniture meant to decorate the once-empty room in the tower on the furthest east section of the castle. Closest to a forest, as she'd been told that the boy liked to look at the woods. Or, at least, was similar enough to where he'd grown up to be comforting.

Stepping inside, a Beringel turned and regarded her for a moment, "A little to the right, close to the door." It grunted, using one meaty arm to slide the red couch close. The room itself wasn't too grand, from what she'd been told grand would discomfort him. Thirty feet long and thirty wide, a bathroom at the back. The stone that it was made of was dark, but posters of caped idiots, to her at least, and bands, and books decorated the walls.

In the furthest right hand corner of the room from the door were two refrigerators and a freezer, stocked with drinks of every variety under the sun. More were stored nearby in a larder. A warm red carpet covered most of the floor, the edges of the room all that was left bare of the cloth. In the closest right hand of the room, a large television was mounted on the wall. The best brand, Watts had assured when she'd asked, with every game console and a copy of every game imaginable stored under it and ready for hook up and play. Couches, chairs and tables surrounded it, scattered around.

He'd have to finish _that_ decorating on his own, she was useless for it as were most of her subjects.

The left of the room had a large table for them to eat on, with around ten chairs. For when the boy's friends were 'brought' to him, as much to please him as keep him in line.

Hearing three more Beringels approach along with Hazel's heavy steps, she smiled as pleasantly as she could and turned. The Beringels surrounded three young, attractive women in ridiculous frilly outfits, Hazel in front, "Got the servants you wanted for the kid. Watts suggested the outfits, said that the kid would like 'em."

The three women were terrified, more so when she regarded them. A blonde Faunus with small horns curling along the sides of her head, a redheaded Human and a brunette Human. She didn't know his preferences, and had instructed Hazel to be varied in his selections, though all were classically attractive.

"Do you three know why you are here?" The three women hesitated for a second before shaking their heads, arms curled around themselves and trembling as they looked at her. She looked at Hazel, standing beside her, and raised an eyebrow. He simply shrugged, and she sighed. He'd worked quickly, and with rushed works came mistakes and cut corners, "Very well. I am having a new... Friend moved in soon enough, within two days at the longest. You are to be his servants."

The Faunus slowly raised a trembling hand, and Salem's brow arched elegantly before she gestured at her with a wave, "S-Serve how, m-ma'am?"

"First off, whenever you address me, you may address me as Your Grace, Highness or my Queen." She counted off the options on a hand, trying to look as pleasant as possible to avoid frightening the girls, "As for how you will serve, that is dependant on the young man who is coming. The basics are simple. Clean, do the dishes, wash his clothes."

"You'll be shown your working quarters by the Beringels, as well as where you will be staying." She gestured at the beasts and the women looked at the massive Grimm, visibly trembling, "Other duties depend on him. If he wishes to have you play games with him, do so. If he wishes a story read or told, you will leap at the occasion. And if he tells one of you to bend over a couch or get on your knees… Well."

She gestured at Hazel, who in turn gestured behind a Beringel where a small closet sat, "Extra clothes inside there for you, and mats for your knees if he wants you on 'em. Good for scrubbin' the floors too, and the extra clothes are nice if you mess yours up during the day."

"He is to be your every concern." She said imperiously, spreading her hands in front of her regally, "When he arrives, ask him how to address him, and never fail to do so. If he is unsure of how you should do sir, refer to him as 'Sir' or 'Master'. I care not which."

"The Grimm won't touch ya unless you try to run. We're on a separate continent, so you'll die anyways." Hazel added, arms crossed and assy voice thrumming next to her. "Fail to do as you ought, and we'll feed the Beo's with your sorry corpses."

Watts strode past the Beringels uncaringly, arms behind his back as he checked the room over to make sure everything was properly plugged in and not damaged, "If you make a break for it and miraculously manage to escape the continent, I shall put the entirety of the Watts family's fortune into hunting you down." He turned to the frightened girls and smiled, "None have ever escape my tracker's noses. And they have commanding powers over Grimm."

"If you behave, and do our duties as best as you physically can, this will be a home to you." Salem offered, smiling brightly. "Count yourselves lucky, you are the first to see the world that will soon encompass everything on Remnant. The Grimm acting as guards and police, no discrimination against Human or Faunus, and complete safety."

Striding towards the door with the Grimm in front of her and the men trailing behind, she tossed a last instruction at them, "Make sure the room is cleaned and that you are presentable when he arrives. My Grimm spared you in a raid once. My mercy never reaches a person twice."

"Y-Yes, Highness." The three echoed in small, weak voices.A single beringel stopped by the door opposite their clothing cabinet, watching them closely. The girls hesitated only a moment before starting to work on cleaning the already spotless room.

A start to the rest of their foreseeable lives.

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 **Twisted ~ Sorry for delays, house hunting, recording and so on taking up time. Wrote all this in the studio, though. So, hopefully, you can get used to long chapters like this. More announcements at the top and, as always, consider hitting up our YT and subbing us, becoming a Supporter - PM me for details if you want to be added to the list - and our Vid . Me account, when it goes live soon enough.**

 **Thanks for everything, Twisted Ones ~ !**


	28. Physicality

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 _ **Official Supporters:**_

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 **Gizmo Gear :**

 **Everyone is a hero in their own story. They all think they are doing what is right, and just, and good in their own minds. Even if it doesn't quite… pan out.**

 **The Niemand :**

 **It's Fanfiction. It's not meant to be canon. Pretty sure they'd just as steadily reject Jaune being a psychic. That said, I am unaware of any character in the show refuting this. I don't even push the theory too terribly much, I just chose it because I felt Tai's family had too much 'perfect' in it.**

 **Bukkake no Jutsu :**

 **Hey man, this story is marked M…**

 **Forsaken Teddy :**

 **I should hope you're interested, else I have failed in my endeavors. Thanks for reading. XD**

 **Ninja Fang :**

 **Thanks!**

 **Snappy :**

 **Jaune has many, many games he can play in his new abode, yes.**

 **Crimson Darkness :**

 **You forgot the part where he has to fend off Salem, her personal guards and servants, any specialised Grimm she'd send and Watts' agents. :D**

 **Spudy Potato :**

 **I can't really put into words how much reviews like that make me happy and motivate me. Thanks, bro.**

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Jaune massaged his head as he sat up in the soft bed, silk sheets shifting around him as the headache echoed from before, when they'd come in for a landing. He could barely remember anything,just a splitting headache as they'd descended for a landing. He'd collapsed, Cinder and Emerald following him down as he fell, trying to catch him.

Now? He was in a room decorated like something he'd dreamed of once, years ago as a child, and he was alone in it. A windowless room with two large, dark brown double doors the only way out of the room.

A small note sat on the table beside the bed, both as simple as could be. The note was written on a plain white sheet of paper in bright red ink and flowing, elegant handwriting like he'd seen in a few movies. Never in real life though, and he'd never thought he'd be in a position that would ever warrant it.

' _Jaune Arc, I fear an assumption I made proved far more true and relevant than I had thought. An associate in my past had a Semblance with some significance as well, which is why this room was first constructed and why an old artifact I am having brought in was created. Stay in the room, for now. It shouldn't be more than a day until you will have free reign of the grounds._

 _Three servants were assigned to you, if they fail to meet your demands inform a Beringel, if you can tolerate their presence. If not, leave a note outside your door. They will be removed forthwith. A replacement will be slow, however, but rest assured they will come.'_

Killed, he was sure the letter meant. He doubted firing them was good enough for whoever had penned the letter.

' _Your travelling companion is with us, for now. We are ensuring her loyalty to you and to us, and doing so without harming her I assure you. Your demands were accepted, and I keep my word. She will join you shortly after reading this no doubt, unharmed and with our well wishes._

 _You are a valuable asset, as you well know, and I see no reason to beat around that fact rather than just admit to it. Let us know what you desire, and we will endeavor to do as you ask, solong as the requests are reasonable. Your demands will be honored as best as we can manage going forward._

 _A Scroll has been left with this note. Contact Cinder when you are awake for updates on the situation, and anything you need._

 _Welcome home, Jaune._

 _Salem Grimmoire'_

Underneath the letter was a small black Scroll, and when he opened it a single icon was on the dark grey screen. 'Contacts'. He opened it, and in it was yet another single icon. A picture of Cinder glowering at the screen and her name stenciled out beside it. He rolled his eyes tiredly, regretted the action when it sent an ache through the front of his head, and pressed the picture.

It rang twice before she picked it up, the woman on the line sounding tired, ggravated, dismissive and distracted all at once. A talent, truly. "Jaune? I only have to numbers on this Scroll, and I was sleeping, so I swear if it's you, Roman..."

"It's, uh, it's me." Jaune said quietly, rubbing at the bridge of his nose at the harsh voice, "Could you not be so loud? I feel like Nora smashed me over the head a few times."

"Are you feeling alright?" She asked after a second, the sound of sheets shifting in the background accompanied by her far quieter voice, "When we were circling to land, you passed out and started… seizing on the floor. We were all very concerned, but my Mistress told us to just lay you in your quarters."

"Her letter said she knew a few things about my Semblance, so it figures. Is Neo with you?" cinder didn't answer right away, and Jaune rubbed the back of his neck in concern, "It's just that we haven't, you know, really _separated_ since you took me from Beacon so I-"

"I'll send a servant along with her shortly then." Cinder said quickly, a strangely brisk tone in her voice for a moment. Jaune almost wished he could be near enough to read her, to guess at how she felt. "We finished our discussions a long time ago, in actuality. We just didn't want to have her in the room with you, for fear of worsening your condition. That, too, was my Mistress' order. Your Mistress too, now, Jaune."

He swallowed nervously and sighed, "I know, Cinder. I know what I agreed to, you don't have to remind me."

"That's not my point. I'd meant to explain before, Jaune, that you need to mind yourself here. My Mistress agreed with your demands, but she won't accept disobedience." Cinder's warning tone surprised him, she almost genuinely seemed concerned for him, "I had to convince her to let you have all of them, and if you throw her generosity in her face, she'll have both our heads."

And there was what he was waiting for.

"I almost thought you were concerned for me, Cinder." He grumbled, shaking his head tiredly and looking down at his clothes. He blushed when he realized he was dressed in black cloth pajamas, lined along the seams in red. "S-Someone changed my clothes?"

"Of course, Jaune. Why would we have you rest in your armor?" She chuckled quietly, "One of your servants changed your clothing, I believe, and put your armor somewhere in your room. I'm unsure where, though." In the background, he heard her bark an order at someone, "One of my own servants will find yours and send them along with Neo in tow."

"Alright. Thanks, Cinder."

She hung up without answering, and Jaune started to wander about his 'quarters'. Though it felt greatly like he'd simply traded one prison cell for another, slightly bigger and more well lit one. He found it rather quickly, tucked into a large chest at the base of his bed. The different color and decoration told him it was a new addition, and given that it was only his armor in it, he figured that was why it had been moved in.

Having seven sisters did teach a few things about decorating, after all.

He hefted the trunk,carrying it over to the large table in the room and setting it next to a chair. Pulling out the armor's pieces, he grimaced. They were dirty, pock marked pieces of metal. Burns, scratches, stains from oil and other damages from the fight adorned it. The chest unfortunately didn't have anything in it for armor maintenance, so he started searching the room in hopes of finding something himself.

Halfway through the fruitless search, his door opened and he smiled at the familiar mischievous sense Neo gave off, before he noted the more nervous one with her. Turning, he felt her slam into his chest and throw her arms around him, nuzzling against him contently and look at the blonde woman in the maid outfit who had been with her.

"Who are you?" The blonde reminded him in a lot of ways of Yang. Long blonde hair, bright eyes even if they were blue rather than lavender, and fairly tall. After that, and her… 'assets', though? The comparisons ended rather abruptly.

"M-My name is Linda." She said timidly, hands clasped over her belly button uncomfortably and avoiding his face. He could tell she was nervous, and frightened for probably very real reasons he didn't want to look into for his sanity's sake, "I-I'm, um, one of your servants now, Sir. Do you prefer to be called Sir, or something else, or-" " _Oh Oum, I'm ruining this, he's going to have me killed."_ "I-I'm sorry, I'm just…"

"Terrified." Jaune grunted with a sigh, trying to work an arm between himself and Neo to use as leverage to wedge her off of his chest where she'd wrapped her arms and legs around him like a koala climbed a tree, "I can tell, and I get it, but just… breathe. You're fine, okay? I'm not like everyone else here, okay?"

" _You're trying to get me off you."_ Neo complained at him, wriggling to try to get a better grip on him slightly, " _Stop doing that, it's annoying."_

"You hanging off of me like some sort of tick is annoying too." He grouched angrily, giving up and reaching up to pat her head affectionately, "Are you okay? They didn't hurt you or anything, did they? Because not doing that was _kind of_ a large part of me agreeing to come here in the end. After the, you know, kidnapping and… stuff."

" _Nope, Cinder just asked me questions and stuff, then told me to wait in a room until you said for me to come. Then you did, and I did, and now I'm catching up on valuable annoying time."_ She grinned and he rolled his eyes again, smiling at the other woman in the room apologetically, " _I thought about playing with her, but figured you wouldn't like it and left her alone."_

"You wanted to…?" He gave her a look and sighed, "Well, glad you didn't, Neo. It would have upset me a good bit if you'd done anything mean."

"S-Sir?" Linda interrupted nervously, reaching a hand up to toy with her hair, "I, um, well…" " _He never answered my question…"_ "Do you, um, need anything else, Sir?"

"My name is Jaune, call me that. Unless, you know, it'll get you in trouble." He smiled in another attempt to calm her down, and sighed for the fifteenth time when it didn't work. "Alright, sir is fine, just… Can you get me some oils and cloth so I can clean my armor? It's filthy from the fight the other day, and...Well, I didn't get to clean it."

She nodded, turning and walking away quickly enough that even someone _other_ than Jaune could tell she was still terrified, and he sighed aggravatedly, "Is this going to be my life now? Terrifying everyone around me by association with other people around me?"

" _Probably, yeah."_ Neo said dismissively, dropping off his torso and bouncing to the fridge, raiding for sweets he could tell. " _Just kind of part of how things go in our world, Jaune. Whether you want to or not, people are going to start reacting when you enter a room now."_

He nodded sadly, smiling when she pulled a tub of ice cream the size of her head out of the fridge before moving to join her.

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"I-I'm not so sure that we should do this, guys." Pyrrha murmured as they approached the main elevator of Beacon Tower, the lights dim given in the midnight hour and still dressed in their sleep clothes. "Headmaster Ozpin is a very busy man, we shouldn't-"

"We deserve to know what he has done that's causing you to wake up screaming, and alter your Semblance." Ren cut in smoothly, arms crossed over his chest and walking in front of the two girls - as much to lead them to their destination, as to ward off anyone's eyes looking at the underdressed women and to avoid his own wandering eyes - while Nora kept an arm around the redhead. "Whatever has happened, it's affecting our entire team, and we all deserve to know the truth so we can help you through it."

"Yeah, Pyrrha," Nora agreed, squeezing her shoulders warmly, "We want to help, and we can't do that without knowing what to help with."

The Mistralian Maiden nodded, chewing her lower lip nervously as Ren punched the elevator call button. After a few seconds of nothing happening, Ren hit it again. The again, and after a minute had passed fully, he hit it again and scowled, "The elevator's light isn't even coming on to say I pushed the button."

"That would be because the office is vacant, and therefore the elevator to it is locked for now. For security purposes, of course." Ozpin said brightly, stepping past the startled group and flipping open a panel on the other side of the elevator from the door before sliding his Scroll into the small slot inside. After a few seconds, a quiet 'ding' sounded and he withdrew the Scroll, smiling at the, "You may now press the button again, Mister Lie. Assuming, of course, you want to have our meeting?"

"How did you know we wanted to see you, sir?" Nora asked quietly, blinking owlishly at the old man.

"My dear, I know absolutely everything that occurs within my Academy, whether I can intervene or not. From the smallest party thrown by students, to intruders on the grounds, all things are known to me in time." He smiled widely and warmly, leaning on the cane in front of him and nodding his head behind them, "This elevator is also the one to _my office_ rather than that one, which leads to the armory, store rooms, and the like. So you'd be pressing this button if you wanted to speak to me."

"We did want to speak to you, sir." Ren said calmly, eyes narrowed at the man in a way Nora knew conveyed his irritation and anger, "It's about Pyrrha. She said you did something but wouldn't explain it to us, and we need to-"

"Then by all means." Ozpin said, waving a hand at the door as it swung open, and watching them awkwardly board the elevator before boarding himself and pressing the 'up' arrow. After a few seconds of awkward silence, Ozpin spoke, "It is very good of you to show such concern for your team mate, you know. I am very proud of my Academy for having students that do so. It is among my greatest achievements, in my opinion."

"She's our friend, sir." Nora said, wrapping another arm around the still-frightened Nikos comfortably. "We'd do anything for our friends."

"Including Jaune, when you find out who took him and where." Ren added quietly, stepping up beside the older man and turning his head to look at him in the eyes, "When you find out where he is, we want to help save him, sir."

"And should I refuse?" he asked coyly, a small,amused smile playing across his face.

"We'll sneak aboard a Bullhead, and I'll have Nora threaten to break the pilot's legs unless he takes us and follows you." Ozpin chuckled quietly, shaking his head from side to side, and Ren opened his mouth to continue. "We will, sir, if we have to."

"Oh, I believe you quite fully, Mister Lie." Ozpin said as the door swung open and he stepped forward, "I have complete faith that you three would do anything to help your team, especially you two given your… pasts." The two stiffened slightly, and he waved their concerns away as he eased into his chair, "Be calm, I hold no student's pat against them. Least of all ones such as yours."

Pyrrha pulled away from Nora slightly, looking at the duo with concern, and Nora sighed, "We were orphaned at a young age, when the Grimm wiped out our villages. First mine, and then Ren's." She sighed sadly, playing with Pyrrha's hair idly with a hand for a second before stopping and continuing, "For a while, we had to steal to get by. I would distract them, and Ren would grab what we needed… We were criminals."

"We did what we had to, to get by. To survive." Ren argued quickly and defensively, walking forward and sitting in one of the two chairs across from the other man. Pyrrha took the other when Nora insisted, standing between her two teammates and resting a reassuring hand on the Maiden's shoulder.

"Indeed. You did as you had to." Ozpin said quietly, resting his elbows on the desk and clasping his hands so he could rest his chin on the interlaced fingers, "Which is why I was forced to ask Miss Nikos here for her assistance with a personal project, to help protect the Kingdoms and save Jaune as well."

"What do you mean?" Ren asked quietly, eyes narrowing suspiciously at the man.

"I mean that everyone does the best they can, to make a good effect on the world. As I have many times, and will do many times more." Ozpin answered cryptically, looking to Pyrrha with a raised eyebrow, "The decision is yours, my dear. I will tell them, if you wish it. But you know what that will cause."

"We can protect ourselves, sir." Nora interrupted, stepping forward slightly. "We survived for years on our own without any help. Now we're trained, and equipped, and we can do that better if we have to."

"I believe you, Miss Valkyrie." He said, surprising the old vagrants slightly. The two exchanged glances, but stayed silent, and Ozpin continued, "You're both brave, loyal teammates and friends. And strong fighters if inexperienced, besides that. However, getting involved in this… It will mean that you can never, ever lead normal lives."

"We're training to be Huntsmen and Huntresses, sir." Ren said dismissively, shrugging lightly, "Those things come with the territory, don't they?"

"Huntsmen and Huntresses can retire. At some point, at the very least."' Ozpin said quickly, sighing and leaning back in his chair, "This, though? If you step into my world, the only way you ever truly leave is in a casket."

"That was the only way I was ever going to leave anyways." Ren said dismissively with a shrug, "The Grimm took my family already. I'll gladly spend my life and give it to combat the threat they pose to doing others."

"Yeah." Nora agreed, though she sounded… a bit off, at least to Ozpin's ears.

"Then you are more than welcome on every mission, outing and fight that we undergo." Ozpin said simply, smiling sadly and shaking his head, "I can't, however, tell you what was done to Pyrrha. Except that she willingly underwent it, and that help is on the way here for her. A specialist in the fields related to how she is now and why."

"You're _going_ to tell us what you did." Nora said sharply, taking a step forward and slamming a fist against the table hard enough to crack it and leaning forward so that her head was level to Ozpin's. "Something is _wrong_ and we want to know what. We're not asking."

"If you think you can force me to tell you anything at all, you are sorely mistaken." Ozpin said simply, rising slowly and face hard and serious. Ren stood and opened his mouth to speak, and Ozpin held up a hand, "No, mister Lie, if she wishes to go down this road then let her. I'll teach her some manners, as well as why I am the Headmaster of Beacon Academy."

After a moment, Nora looked at Ren and the young man shook his head, so she leaned back with a grimace and working her jaw, "We deserve to know, Headmaster."

"Yes, you do. Truly." Ozpin said, sighing and walking to the close doors that led out to his balcony, staring at the distant city lights, "But it is beyond my choosing, and yours, and Pyrrha's as well. I will speak on your behalf to my colleagues, but I doubt they will accept even more additions to the information's holders." Turning to the three and smiling apologetically, he continued, "Now, it is very late and past curfew. Go to bed. The nurse will be by in the morning with sleeping medication, to help Miss Nikos."

A few minutes after they were gone, Ozpin fished a Scroll from his pocket and sighed as he dialed the number on the top of his list, "James, we have a few problems. And I need a report, has Belladonna's 'rescue' gone through successfully?"

"It went over smoothly enough, as much as it pains me to say it." James returned quickly, sounding aggravated at the mention of the White Fang's raid. "It'll be weeks before that base is back to functional capacities."

"Yes, and I understand your frustration with it, but it's necessary in order to ascertain Jaune's location and facilitate his rescue" Ozpin said sadly, shrugging in spite of the fact the other man couldn't see him, "Any indication of how long it will take until Miss Belladonna can make contact with one of your informants?"

"None whatsoever, unfortunately. Even my contacts close to their leadership didn't know where Arc was, presumably because he was kept hidden. Belladonna, however, is 'one of theirs' so I doubt they'll lock her away." James answered crisply, "Give me a few days, I'll have Winter work more closely with our agents to ensure they understand the importance of this operation. You mentioned problems?"

"Yes, I did." Ozpin said quietly, turning to return to his desk, "Our new Maiden's team members are concerned over the… side effects of the procedure she underwent."

"Is it handled, or do you need my assistance?" Ozpin sighed, taking his seat once again, and he heard James mirror the sound across the line, "I'm just offering a containment cell. We could inform them of everything, then put them in there. They'd be safe and sound, and know what's going on."

"And they'd be prisoners." Ozpin added nonchalantly, shaking his head, "No, I somehow doubt that they would take to the idea of being thrown in a cell, especially if they knew what we do."

"A sound point." James conceded after a second, the sound of shifting sheets in the background drawing a smirk from Ozpin, "Is that all? I've got important matters that need tending to."

"Yes, tell Miss Goodwitch I said hello." He chuckled brightly when the other man grunted and ended the call, sliding the Scrollback into a pocket and standing once again, this time heading towards the elevator, "I think I can finally catch some sleep myself, as well."

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James sighed, letting the scroll drop on the table beside his bed and sitting up on the hotel's bed, rubbing his eyes tiredly and cracking his neck. Across the sparsely decorated room, the bathroom door was open and light came from it, "Who was that, James?"

"Ozpin. Just wanting a quick update on Belladonna, and to inform me of a few potential snags. Nothing too serious, and nothing that requires my attention right now." He stood, feeling the cool air blowing across his chest from a fan mounted on the ceiling wherever the metal hadn't replaced his flesh.

"But didn't you just tell Ozpin that you had something important to deal with?" Glynda asked coyly, poking her head around the corner of the bathroom's door and smiling at him, "I'd hate to keep you away from any important military concerns, after all."

He smiled, stepping into the bathroom behind her and resting his hands on her hips while she messed with her hair, as she always did before bed, even though he'd told her a thousand times that she looked fine. "You know what concerns I meant, Glynda. Ozpin says hello, by the way."

She smiled coyly, nodding her head to the side and leaning back against his chest, knowing that he loved the feeling of her silk nightshirt against his chest. Even if he was too manly to get himself a silk sleeping shirt. "I do, yes, but it's fun to tease you a bit. And it adds a certain… romance to it, too, I suppose."

"We're in a hotel, hiding out together." James said, resting his chin on her shoulder and watching her try and do her hair in the mirror with an amused expression, "Is that not 'romantic' by itself?"

"Are you asking for conversation, or because romance still eludes you?" She teased, smiling lightly when he pouted and looked confused.

"Yes?"

"You can't answer a question like that with 'yes', James." She laughed, turning her head to kiss his cheek lightly, pouting cutely the entire time. "Cheater. You always ruin my games when I try to play them."

"I'm a soldier, we don't play many games." He said, shrugging and wrapping his human arm around her stomach to hold her against him,appreciating the warmth. His metal bits always left him chilly, so a warm anything was appreciated. "We're a lot more straightforward, unfortunately, so we don't do games very well."

"Oh believe me, I have figured that out." She laughed, setting the brush down and leaning fully against him, "I'm tired, James. Carry me to bed?"

"I suppose I could be convinced." She tugged on the black ribbon holding her bust in, letting it open slightly, and he smiled and picked her up, "Consider me convinced."

Glynda giggled brightly until they reached the bed, where very different sounds started echoing across the room.

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"I'm sorry, guys, I thought he might tell you if you asked him…" Pyrrha muttered, going back to her bed and sitting at the head of it, tucking a lock of hair behind her ear. Nora ignored her, going to her own bed and grabbing her pillows aggressively, and Pyrrha swallowed anxiously, "Nora, I'm sorry that-"

"Not mad at you." She interrupted lightly, bundling her pillows together, "I'm steamed at Ozpin, for not just telling us what we want to know because 'ooooh, it's a secret and we're so mysterious' or something."

"At least he promised to include us wherever he can." Ren argued, sitting cross-legged on his own bed and looking aggravated. For Ren, at least, which mostly meant that he frowned slightly and looked otherwise impassive. "Assuming, of course, that he meant it when he said that, then we can relax."

"Scooch." Nora ordered, tossing her pillows behind Pyrrha and climbing across the bed, "You're sharing for tonight."

"W-Why?" She asked in surprise, a single strong arm reaching up and roping across her chest to pull her down for cuddling.

"Your nightmares. Mine always go away when I sleep with Ren, so yours should leave when I cuddle with you." Nora pulled her head against her chest and used her other hand to pull the blankets up, her other arm holding the Mistralian until she stopped trying to wriggle away and settled onto Nora's shoulder,an arm laying across the Valkyrie's stomach, "See? Comfy, right? You'll sleep better like this."

"Speaking of, we should probably try to get some sleep ourselves." Ren said quietly, and Pyrrha had to agree as she fought down a yawn. Nora's warmth was proving to be quite relaxing, along with the slight vanilla of her shampoo, and she was already nodding off. Ren flicked off the light with a small, worried smile and laid down quietly.

He and Nora took longer to fall asleep than the redhead, Nora playing with her hair idly and Ren staring at the ceiling in thought. Both were concerned and curious about her, of course, and Jaune as had done all these things to their friends? Why? What secrets could possibly mean they couldn't explain what they'd done to Pyrrha?

So may questions to keep the two of them up for hours into the night.

Pyrrha on the other hand fell asleep quickly and easily, and wouldn't wake up again for the rest of the night, cuddling against Nora's warm side, and entirely oblivious to her friend's musings and worries.

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"I hope you're certain of his obedience to our cause, given the… nature of his recruitment to it." Salem said quietly, standing in front of one of the large windows in her Hall with Cinder behind her in the pale moonlight. "It would be quite unfortunate were you to have not secured his loyalties properly before bringing him here."

"The girl, Neo. He cares for her, and there's enough evidence to suggest they've begun a relationship of some sort. Whether it's emotional or just physical, I can't hazard a guess, but he doesn't seem the type to sleep with someone like her for purely physical reasons." Cinder answered quietly, peering out the window and watching the avian Grimm circling at a distance, "He knows what we'll do to her and her friend Roman if he should betray us, or fail us."

"Is she not the one who harmed his friend and kidnapped him? What was her name?" the Queen turned to regard her servant with a raise eyebrow, having forgotten the girl's name and curious to see if Cinder remembered.

"Nikos. And yes, she was." Cinder answered quickly, eager to allay her Mistress' fears, "I doubted it at first as well, and made multiple offers of both myself and Emerald to him to see if he would take the bait and we could secure his loyalty through us. However, he went for Neo instead, and has taken great pains to include her under his demands for protection. Roman as well, presumably for her sake."

"And given how much time they spend together, and his immediate calling for her when he woke up, you feel justified in this decision?" Cinder nodded mutely, and Salem returned her gaze to the window, "A sound enough judgement, I suppose. Even if he is lying and protecting her for some other reason, we have his other friends' lives as well."

"Yes. The servants we have provided for him will assist with that further, he's the kind of man to want to protect everyone." Cinder chuckled darkly, putting a hand on her hip and cocking it slightly, "His naivete is to our benefit, in this case."

"It could be against it in others." Salem said quietly, reaching a hand out to touch the window, "But the benefits of having im in our service are immeasurable… It has been quite a long time since someone with his abilities served me. This stalemate will end now, with his help."

"Do you truly think we needed him so badly? Enough to compromise my ability to capture the Maiden's power fully?" Cinder crossed her arms across her chest, grimacing, "They've given what was left to another, I can… feel it, like an echo, every time they use the powers of the Maiden."

"Then you shall kill her,and reclaim the power for yourself, with the young man's assistance." Salem said uncaringly, turning to give the young woman a mildly concerned look. "Are you alright? I can send for Watts if you wish it,as much as he likes to antagonize you he is an accomplished doctor."

"No, my Mistress, I...I do not think this is something that can be treated." She sighed, smiling slightly at the Queen of the Grimm's rare show of concern for her wellbeing. "As for killing the Maiden… If Ozpin is as clever as you say, he may realize what could convince Jaune to stand with us."

"And if he does, or has already done so, then you fear he will use one of his friends as the recipient of the Maiden's neutered powers?" Salem asked, frowning heavily at the suggestion, "You are quite correct. If that should be the case, then capturing her is paramount."

"Of course." Cinder nodded once again, "I am already laying plans to take each of his friends, one after the other, to force his obedience. But will the Maiden not be more of a burden to have under our roof?"

"Possibly, but we've little choice." Salem sighed, shaking her head and making the decorations in her hair tinkle slightly.

"I could always arrange an accident in transit. An unfortunate event leading to her death." Cinder suggested, smiling coyly and raising an eyebrow, "It would be very easy to do, given that I have the majority of the real power behind the Maiden's abilities."

"No. I have given our new guest my word to protect his friends, even if that was through you and even if it should hamper us." Salem turned her head, smiling thinly, "And besides, the very ability we are seeking to secure with him would jeopardize that attempt."

"You're right, of course, Mistress."Cinder said submissively,bowing her head slightly and frowning, "I am sorry not to have lived up to your hopes of having the Maiden's power. If I may ask, why is Jaune's Semblance so important? You never said why you wanted it so desperately."

"And you never questioned my orders, like a good child." She said, smiling at the woman's expression, "The people of Remnant often think, foolishly, that every Semblance is unique, somehow special. This isn't true, of course, merely a colloquial statement on the nature of Semblances."

"The Schnee leap to my mind as an example." Cinder offered, "Their Semblance is hereditary, with most children in each generation manifesting the same one. Those with different abilities usually are related to the hereditary one as well."

"Exactly." Salem said, smiling and looking out the window, "His is an ability I have had the pleasure of having under me multiple times over the centuries. Useful in more ways than one, might I add. I know very well how to use a man like the helmet is delivered, we can begin training him in other aspects of his abilities and how he will serve our cause. And me personally, as well. Now go, make ready for when the helmet arrives and we can begin Jaune's… orientation, so to speak."

"Of course, Mistress."

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It didn't take long for the blonde woman, Linda, to return with the oils Jaune had asked for. Neo had accepted them for him, and had spent the last hour laying on her stomach on the table he was working on, watching him work quietly. Buffing, polishing, even restitching the padding beneath, all while humming quietly.

" _I'm bored."_ Neo thought at him,the young man turning to see her kicking her feet lazily behind her in the air, " _Let's do something fun instead of just cleaning your clothes."_

"Like what?" He asked quietly, turning back and picking up a shoulder piece, "There's plenty of games over at the t.v., go play a game if you're bored." He turned the shoulder piece in his hand, working the rag along its grooves to get out the dirt and oil that had collected there, and he could sense Neo's frustration with him over something.

" _I don't like video games."_ She complained, sighing almost audibly - a feat for her, really - and rolled off the table, standing up with a slight bounce in her step that did interesting things to her… assets, though Jaune tried to ignore it as best he could. From her amused sense that he got, she'd notice when he failed, " _I wonder if there's any cards here. We could play Poker or something."_

"I'm literally a psychic, Neo, and you want to play Poker of all things?" He turned and raised an eyebrow at the grinning girl, "I don't even know how to play Poker, but I know I'd win. I could just read your mind, and I'd know what cards you had. I wouldn't even have to _try_ to do it either, it happens on its own."

 _Poker is a lot like fighting, Jaune. I win both by distracting my opponent."_ She said, using one leg to loop under a chair next to him and turn it to face him, sitting down and crossing her legs comfortably. " _Distracting you wouldn't be too hard, really."_

"But I'd know you were doing it." Jaune argued, setting the shoulder piece down with a clank, "How would it possibly work if I knew you were doing it?"

" _If I stab a man, he knows he's being stabbed. But does that mean he can actually do anything about it?"_ She raised a thin eyebrow at him,shaking her head at her own question, " _Knowing someone is doing something doesn't mean anything if it still works on you. I can think of a thousand examples to prove it."_

"And how exactly would you distract me enough, in a way I couldn't stop it from working, to win a game about deception with a _psychic_?" She tilted her head to the side, smiling like a cheshire cat, and started unbuttoning her jacket fully, setting it on the table and sitting in just her leotard. Jaune blushed slightly in spite of himself, it barely covered any of her stomach or chest above her breasts and was only held on by a couple of spaghetti straps, and felt her amusement.

" _See? Now you can't look at me, so all I have to do is talk to you and I'll distract you enough to win."_ She laughed in his head quietly, an odd feeling that sounded like memories of laughter without the context a memory had. " _See? You know what I'm doing, and can't prevent me doing it."_

He made a point of looking at her, and she raised an eyebrow, "I-I can ignore it, if I want to." he smirked lightly, crossing his arms at her and leaning back in his chair, "You're not that hot, to fluster me so much I can't even stand to look you in the face."

She tilted her head the other way, smile gone and looking surprised before a grin cracked across her face and a curious kind of amused feeling echoed through her mind and into his she reached up, flicking off one of the shoulders of her leotard, " _Don't make it a challenge, Jaune, or I'll take you up on it. You know I will. I like to play games, and challenging ones are the best."_

He was torn between calling her bluff and giving up for a few seconds, until her other hand looped under her left shoulder strap and he gave up, throwing his hands in the air, "Okay, okay, you win. Sheesh…"

" _That was too easy."_ She complained, fixing her shoulder straps and pouting with her arms crossed, " _You're boring, you know that right?"_

"Sorry to hear that." He said with a chuckle, the smaller woman's pouting only intensifying, "I'm almost done, then we'll play a game or watch a movie or something. If you'll take the cleaned pieces and put them back in the trunk, I'd appreciate it."

" _Sure."_ She answered quickly, standing up and reaching across the table in front of him to pick up his breastplate, in an obvious attempt to fluster him that he tried -and summarily failed - to ignore.

Sure enough, after about twenty minutes, the last piece was cleaned, polished, buffed and repaired as he could get it. All the armor still had some scratches where the metal itself had been torn, but at least now they were smoother and less jagged. No sooner had Jaune laid the last piece in the trunk and clipped it closed did Neo grab his arm and start pulling him to the sitting area.

"You don't have to pull me, I was coming anyways." He sighed, letting her drag him to a couch and push him down before she turned around and started looking through the movies on a shelf beside the television, "I don't care what we watch, just pick something, okay?"

She gave a thumbs up over her bare shoulder, " _Yeah, sure, I was kind of going to anyways."_ He rolled his eyes, letting his head rest on the back of the couch behind him and staring at the ceiling. He sensed her approaching and looked up just in time to feel her drop onto his lap, leaning partially on the arm of the couch and his chest and holding the two remotes. Sh crossed her legs and laid them on the couch, looking at him innocently, " _Which of these works the t.v. and which works the player, you think?"_

"Um, you're in my lap." She nodded, wriggling her hips against him, and he stared at her owlishly for a few seconds with his arms raised slightly, one in the air over her legs and the other behind her."Uh, why?"

" _It's comfortable."_ She smiled,raising an eyebrow and titling her head to the side, " _Are you going to tell me you don't like a cute girl in your lap? If you want me off,just push me."_ She nodded after a few seconds when he didn't, and went back to staring at the remotes, irritation and… something else, an intent or a feeling he couldn't quite place echoing out of her. It tasted of frustration, but… not quite. " _Now help me work the damn player."_

"It's, uh, the small one. The big one controls the t.v., which is why it has the input options." He forced himself to relax, and tried to ignore the particular parts of her touching particular parts of him, and let his arms rest, one against her back and the other across her waist experimentally. When she 'felt' satisfied slightly, and when she didn't produce some sharp implement to impale him with, he assumed he was doing alright, "What did you pick?"

" _Grimm Shipping Lanes."_ She answered,turning the television on and cycling until she saw the menu screen for the movie, " _Old scary movie about Were-Beos, and the captain of a major shipping vessel is one. They're lost at sea, and every night, someone dies."_

"Huh. Sounds like an interesting concept, at least." She nodded, starting the movie and snuggling against him with her head beside his, close enough he could smell the ice cream she'd eaten on her breath whenever she breathed and a kind of mix of perfume and sweat. He swallowed nervously, which his Semblance told him she noticed with a spark of amusement, and settled in to watch the movie.

About fifteen minutes in at a lull in the story, he spoke. More in an effort to distract himself than anything, "I, uh, didn't know you were into horror movies. Or old ones? Whichever it is."

" _Oh, I'm not."_ She answered quickly, " _I'm the kind of person they make into the villain of these kinds of movies, I don't much like them. And my imagination can come up with worse things, and I'll do them to, then the movies ever have."_

"I know." He said quietly, thumb rubbing small circles on her back idly and unconsciously, "You're… not a very good person, Neo."

" _I know. I've never pretended otherwise, Jaune. I live my life completely honestly, and always will. I tried once, pretending to be normal, and I was miserable."_ She answered, sighing heavily and cuddling against him a minute, she spoke to him again, " _Does it… bother you? Like, does it make you uncomfortable around me?"_

"Not really." He answered after a few seconds, and honestly too, "I would sense if you tried to hurt me, and as much as I am angry about what you did to Pyrrha… I get it. You enjoyed what you were doing, and that is not okay, but you had to do it. Cinder wouldn't have taken 'no' for an answer."

" _No usually means she kills the person when she hears it."_ Neo agreed, sighing again, " _For what it is worth, I'm sorry for what I did to her. I don't feel bad for it, because I'm not the kind of person who can feel that way for things, but I am sorry it upset you."_

"I know." He said quietly, looking down at her and smilig thinly, "I also know you're willing to at least try and be a good person, because you're protecting Roman."

" _I'm protecting you too."_ She returned quietly, looking back at the screen, " _What would your friends think if they found out you were friends with a thing like me? And if I was hurting people all the while?"_

"They'd be very upset, definitely." Jaune said with a sigh, looking back to the screen as well, "And they'd try to stop you. Probably wouldn't trust me either, which is… bad. In a lot of ways."

" _Don't worry, I'll I won't start anything with your friends unless it'd be_ really _funny, I promise."_ He rolled his eyes and accepted it, it was probably the best offer he'd get out of the girl.

"But I still don't understand something." He said quietly, honestly curious and unable to glean anything from her feelings to guess, "If you don't like horror movies, why'd you pick one out for us to watch?"

" _So I wouldn't miss anything when we got started."_ She said, turning to face him again and smiling impishly, more feelings he couldn't place.

"Uh, started what, exactly?" He asked, raising an eyebrow at her. She turned her head and pecked him on the jaw, and he blinked in surprise, "Um…"

Rolling her eyes, she kicked her boots off and turned more fully, sliding her legs up so she was straddling him, " _I know you're dense, but come on, Jaune. I think you know what I want, you're literally a mind reader."_

"W-Well,uh, I, um, I have trouble recognizing feelings I don't have a lot. Your are particularly hard to read sometimes, because you're-" She rolled her eyes, leaning in and kissing him, pulling back with a smirk, "W-Why?"

" _Cuz it's fun."_ She answered, grabbing his hands where they were sitting on the couch and putting them on her hips, the smooth skin and her weight pressing into his lap making his heart pound in his ears. " _I'm bored, this is fun for both of us if you relax and just go with it, and literally everyone is assuming we're doing this kind of stuff anyways."_

"But we're not actually, you know… together." He muttered quietly, swallowing nervously and licking his lips. He could taste the damned ice cream now, not just smell it.

" _And we don't have to be, if you don't want to. This is just some nice, less than innocent fun."_ She paused for a second and laughed, which did interesting things to her chest that didn't help Jaune's current southern problems, " _Dust, this is the opposite of how this kind of thing usually goes. It's usually the guy trying to get the girl into bed. This is so… strange."_

"My entire life has been strange from the moment Pyrrha activated my Aura and my Semblance manifested itself." He said with a nervous sigh, staring at her lips in spite of himself and chuckling slightly. "Sorry I'm so strange."

She leaned in and kissed him again, the taste of ice cream rushing through his head as she pushed him back, " _It's fine."_ She thought at him, grabbing the sides of his head to hold him there, " _Just relax and do what you want. I won't say no."_

After a few seconds, buffeted by Neo's feelings and everything else, he gave in and pushed her onto her back, her legs wrapping around his waist and her arms his shoulders.

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 **So, I recently was forced by the others to take the Pottermore tests and got literally every Slytherin item. Like, one hundred percent, unfiltered and undiluted Slytherin. So, yeah. Hiss hiss, mother fuckers?**

 **Anyways, took me a while to decide on how to do that final scene. Hope all the shippers like it - let me just clear my bloody inbox ahead of time, lol - and I didn't fuck it up too terribly much. If everyone was paying even the mildest levels of attention, they'd notice the chapter's theme. i avoided any actual lemons or limes because I don't quite know if anyone wants them and,much more impoartantly, I have zero idea on how to write the damned things.**

 **Anyways part two, I hope you all enjoyed the chapter. As always, consider dropping our YT or when that gets running a sub, and maybe becoming a Supporter. The ones I have currently are why my chapters have lengthened so much as of late, and as that number grows I'll only produce more. Not a demand, of course, just a request.**


	29. Castle Chat

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 _ **Official Supporters:**_

 **SleeplessShippings**

 **Shadie**

 _ **If you want your name on the lists of my stories and videos, head over to P a t. R e . o n and search for the Temple Walkers. Just let us know you're from Fanfiction, alright? There's a thousand of you, so a dollar a piece would really add up and help me a lot! Once I reach five hundred Supporters of any value over a dollar, I will make a concerted effort to put out a chapter of something once every three days at the very slowest.**_

 _ **Further, on Vid . Me, if you subscribe you to us as a group, you can support us there and help us with two dollars a month. We'll be starting the Long Dark soon as a main series at the request of a Supporter, and you all can request them - and Fanfictions too, of course - on our P Supporter page. Pm for details, if you wish to help.**_

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 **Gizmo Gear :**

 **Yup. I had intended this scene for a long time, and that segment in particular was pre-written… five months ago? Six? Dunno.**

 **Bukkake :**

 **XD**

 **Adol :**

 **Thanks. And who doesn't like 'em on occasion? I just suck at 'em.**

 **All My Fellow Snakes :**

 **Hiss hiss, motherfuckers. Lol.**

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Jaune grunted and sat up in his bed with in surprise, a small bundle of cloth lying on his stomach. Blinking the sleep out of his eyes, he turned to look up at Cinder, smirking at him slightly, "Get dressed, and that includes your armor, and get… cleaned up." Neo sat up beside him, bare chested as he was, and stretched out, "Some deodorant too, for both of you." " _I had been this close to disbelieving you two were together… Interesting."_ "Your new helmet is waiting in your trunk, I had one of your servants place it there last night."

"I… didn't sense them." Jaune admitted in surprise, picking up the shirt from the bundle and unfurling it to look at it.

"Yes, well. Perhaps you were distracted by…" Cinder looked at Neo, who looked back with a raised eyebrow and arms crossed under her pale bust, "Your woman." " _If one could call her that."_ She looked at Jaune when he coughed, eyes boring into hers for a second before she blinked, "I'll be waiting outside. Don't keep me that way." " _I'm not a patient woman, Arc."_

" _She is such a bitch."_ Neo said, kicking the covers off and standing once the woman had left. Jaune blushed, and then rolled his eyes when her amusement hit him as she searched for her scattered clothing, " _Don't know why you're blushing, Jaune. Still a virgin at heart?"_

He rolled his eyes a second time, standing and sliding the plain, jet black pants on. "Oh, bite me, it's not my fault." Neo turned, sliding her arms into her leotard and raised an eyebrow at him, "No, that wasn't a challenge, and no, we don't have time." She laughed mutely, and he gave up resisting the urge to watch what it did to her 'features' now. "So, I guess we finally get to meet this 'Queen', huh?"

" _Yeah."_ Neo thought, surprising nerves echoing out from her towards Jaune. The shirtless blonde looked at her in surprise, a stick of deodorant in his hand and his mouth open slightly in surprise, " _Roman is scared of Cinder, Jaune. And Cinder is scared as hell of this 'Queen' character. Whoever can scare Roman scares me, and whoever can scare that person?"_ She shook her head, running a hand through her hair nervously, " _Not someone I want to meet, even if we're on friendly terms."_

Jaune nodded mutely, tossing the small stick onto the bed and sliding on the plain black shirt, turning to walk to the trunk at the end of his bed, "Yeah, I get that. I mean, this isn't exactly ideal as a situation for me but…" Neo pulled her pants on, turning when she felt him look at her, "I think it's worth it."

She actually blushed slightly, blinking in surprise before walking stiffly towards the couch where her coat was still lying, " _That was maybe the corniest line I have ever, ever heard. And I watch movies, Jaune."_

"Hey, what can I say?" He shrugged, chuckling even before he said the joke, "I'm so corny, famers ask me for tips."

Neo started at him for several seconds before slapping her forehead, " _I swear to Oum, I will never sleep with you again if you keep up these terrible, terrible jokes."_ He feigned offence, kicking open his trunk, Neo pouting at him when he ignored her. " _I'm serious, Jaune."_

"Somehow, I don't believe you mean it. I don't know, might be that I'm a literal psychic, or something." He laughed, and she threw a pillow off the couch at the back of his head. He let it hit him, smiling and fishing out his new helmet.

Mistralian in design, it was cylindrical and plain, lacking any paint and left a dull silvery grey color. A 'T' shape rested in the center of the front of the helmet, wider at the top than the bottom, and when he slid it on he could see fairly well out of it. The front was longer than the back, dipping into a point an inch and a half long in front of his throat to protect it. A single scratch stretched along the right cheek, shallow enough to have probably been an accident.

Jaune got the feeling it wasn't, and slid it off his head so he could lay it on the bed while he got into the rest of his armor. " _The helmet looks good."_ Neo said, walking over and picking it up, " _What's it for, though?"_

"Something about helping with my Semblance, so I don't…. Do whatever I did when we got here." He slid it on again, looking at her and smiling behind the helmet, "Hope it works." After a few seconds, he shook his head, but he still felt… Nothing. No emotions from Neo, or thoughts, or anything, and after a second he could tell from her face that she was confused. The way her smirk slipped and she tilted her head to the side, pink and brown eyes both searching his helmet in confusion.

" _Hello?"_ He heard when he slid it back off, the girl's head tilting to the other side, pink eyes blinking owlishly at him.

"It's stopping me from reading minds…" He turned the helmet in his hands, looking at the front and rubbing a thumb along the scar on the side, "It must be… I don't know, blocking my Semblance, somehow. Containing it, maybe? The building it supposed to be lined with the stuff." He looked at Neo, an eyebrow raised, "Do you know of a metal that blocks out Aura and Semblances entirely?"

" _Just what I used for my needles, and a few guys I know use for swords and knives."_ She shrugged, " _It might be rarer than that, even, maybe."_

He swallowed nervously and grimaced, looking at her, "It'll… be weird, not having my ability anymore. I don't think I like the idea, especially given, you know, who we'll be meeting. I was kind of hoping we'd be able to talk in there. I need the advice."

Neo rolled her eyes at him, " _You'll be fine. Just be adamant about the agreements you made don't give her ground too much, and don't give too little. Negotiate. She'll know that if she takes too much advantage of you, you'll figure out and turn against her."_ She turned when someone, probably Cinder, knocked on the door and sighed quietly, " _We have to go, though. I got your back, no matter what happens. Okay?"_

"I know." He muttered, hesitating for a second when she turned to head for the door before grabbing her arm. She turned in surprise, and his lips slammed into hers for a second. He felt her surprise echo, among other feelings, before stepping past and sliding the helmet on. "Tell her I'm almost ready, alright?"

She nodded, bouncing away, and he took a few more minutes to strap into his armor. The breastplate was scratched along the inner left side, under his arm, where a round had scored across it. Aura, after all, didn't protect clothing or armor like it did your body. A small, scorched hole over where his heart beat reminded him of why he had Aura, and four smaller scorched stars around it reminded him of the armor's use.

While he missed his jeans and hoodie, he had to admit that the white armor over his black clothes looked really, really cool.

Even with the helmet, armor and the mildly thick clothing under it all, he could still feel air rushing past him. Cinder was leaning against the wall beside the door where he'd exited, a flame hovering before her for warmth in the chilly air. "Jaune. About time,you kept me waiting."

"Sorry, it...I had to adjust to not having my Semblance anymore." His voice echoed hollowly, and he looked around.

'His' building was designed like all the others, though far shorter and separated from the larger ones by a large patch of ground. Paved black stones for walkways circled a dead, white tree where grass had clearly used to grow. More small buildings like his protruded from the base of a huge castle, designed similarly to Beacon Tower with an angling rise to a wide room of some kind, with glass on all sides. Light came out of the windows, speckling the ground and the wall around it in light.

"Impressive, isn't it?" Cinder asked, startling him enough that he actually flinched. She raised her brow at him, head tilting as a smirk formed, "Oh? Still adjusting to your new situation? It must be odd, not hearing our thoughts anymore." She gave Neo a look, clearly amused, "That's...not very fortunate, for you."

Neo raised her middle finger at her and looked at Jaune expectantly.

"Aren't we supposed to be meeting someone?" He asked, stepping in front of Neo and using a hand to make her put away the finger. "Someone important."

Cinder's cocky smirk vanished along with the fire almost instantly, and she turned, gesturing at the highest point of the castle, "Your new Goddess, Jaune Arc. The most important person you ever have or ever will meet in your entire life. She's waiting for you at the top, by all means, be on your way. I'll be right behind you."

"You're not going to lead us there?" Jaune asked in surprise, turning his helmeted head from the imposing tower and looking at the woman.

"Jaune, all of us are perfectly capable of self actualizing on any mission we might have. Consider it a… test, of sorts, over how well you manage without your Semblance. It should be easy enough to find your way to the top." She chuckled lightly, reaching up to toy with a strand of her hair playfully, "If you can't find your way after a while, I will show you. And you will explain to my mistress why you are so late."

He sighed and nodded, walking towards the darkened double doors. They were made of wood colored dark as the stone around them, with bright brass knobs that turned soundlessly in his hands. The tower was darkened inside, only dimly lit by lanterns paced about ten feet apart with flames crackling in them.

No electricity ran to the majority of the complex, it seemed, ad he asked Cinder why, "My Mistress only has so many resources. There are several generators, as well as a turbine power engine on a hill nearby, that run very minimal power to very specific parts of the castle and its grounds. Your quarters, and those of your new allies as well, have it run to them as well as a few other locations."

"To keep from being spotted, right?" He asked quietly as they walked, Cinder humming in question at him, "If there were lights everywhere, and a power grid, and resources being shipped in to power everything here, people would see it. Or, uh, notice it, I guess?"

She chuckled quietly, and for a moment he thought he'd been wrong, and his shoulders tensed as a Beringel passed by. Its lumbering steps shook him physically ever so slightly before Cinder answered and distracted him, "Yes, Jaune, that is correct. We can't grow food here for the same reasons, so we have to smuggle it up here ourselves. Adding on the Dust needed to power so much would be far too obvious to anyone paying any attention."

He stopped in front of a large, grand staircase that was indented into the wall and looked at Cinder. The brunette simply inclined her head slightly, and he followed Neo up the stairs as she bounced ahead. At the top, after what felt like hundreds of steps, a moderately sized and plain landing ended at a set of huge, decorated wooden doors. The right depicted a woman wearing a blackened robe, head bowed and resting on her finger tips almost as though she were grieving. The other showed a man standing above her, arms crossed above a cane and head bowed. Whether he was looking at the woman or supposed to be grieving as well, Jaune couldn't tell. The hair for both was covered by what looked like hoods of some sort, sliver metal spilling from both.

"What are the carvings of?" He asked Cinder, the woman pausing and turning her head only slightly at the question as she passed him walking towards the doors.

"What do you think they are, Jaune?" She gestured at the man on the doors, "Who do you know with silver hair and a cane?"

He looked at the door again, shaking his head slightly. "The wood is older than Ozpin, easily." She simply laughed, shaking her head and walking to the doors.

"So you think, Jaune." She said quietly, pushing the doors open easily and turning around. She jerked her head at the door slightly, clearly indicating that he should enter, and then followed him into the room.

Ten chairs surrounded a large stone table, four on the right and left of the long table and one at each head. All were empty, and at the far end of the room, staring out of the massive windows, a woman stood with her hands clasped behind her back and a small Grimm that looked like a jelly fish floating beside her.

Cinder took a seat at the closest head of the table, gesturing at the chair at the head with a hand, "Take a seat, Jaune."

"Yes, take a seat, Jaune." The other woman said lowly, turning her head slightly to acknowledge him, "We have a great deal to discuss, after all. Plans to make, steps to take, the usual. Well, perhaps not the usual for _you,_ Jaune. At least, the you that existed before you got into your new line of work."

"Is this when I find out what I will actually be doing?" She raised an eyebrow at him and he swallowed nervously, "Um, Your Highness."

"Better. You are new to this, and I am sure you feel odd without your semblance free as you are used to, so I will forgive your failures of etiquette for now." Salem said quietly, turning fully to face them and smiling thinly, chuckling quietly before shaking her head, "Now, please do have a seat. Yours is beside my dear Cinder, directly across from me."

"A place of honor." Cinder whispered to him when he pulled the chair back, the young knight looking at her in surprise and hesitating for a moment. "I didn't mean for you to not to sit, Jaune, only for you to know the seat's importance at this table."

"Cinder is trying to help with your lack of training in etiquette, Jaune. That is all, so you needn't hesitate." He still hesitated for a second, but only a second, before taking the seat with Neo standing on his left side almost protectively. Not that it would matter if Cinder and Salem decided to attack, he feared, a sense he got from looking at her strange face. "Now then, I know that you are probably curious about a great many things. First among them, i am sure, is my appearance."

Jaune stiffened for a moment, turning to look at Cinder who seemed amused at his inability to read her anymore before answering, "I...admit that it took me by surprise, Your Highness. I, um, didn't expect you to…"

"Look like a monster?" She asked coyly, striding towards the chair opposite his and easing into it with a small smile, "That is a very, very long story. And not one I tell to just anyone, Jaune. You have to earn that sort of answer, but for now, suffice it to say that I am part of the Grimm and part of Man equally. The Queen of the Grimm."

"That's fair." Jaune said quietly, nodding his head and twiddling his thumb anxiously, "But does being the Queen of the Grimm not make you an enemy of mankind?" She raised a prim eyebrow, resting her elbow on the chair and her chin on the back of her hand, "That's what the Kingdoms teach, Your Highness. Grimm are enemies of mankind, so if you're their Queen..."

"Yours as well now, Jaune." She answered in an amused voice, "But to answer your question, truly. I am an enemy of the Kingdoms, and of Ozpin personally, but not mankind itself. The Grimm at their time of creation were, and the wild Grimm who I don't have the power to command directly or the need to are, but I am not."

"But… that doesn't make sense. All of the people on Remnant live in those Kingdoms, how can you be the enemy of the Kingdom but not them?" He swallowed nervously, his heart beating against his breastplate hard enough he thought it might bust through, and Neo rested a hand on his shoulder. He jumped slightly and turned to look at her, sighing, "I'm sorry, Your Highness. I'm… more on edge than I should be, I guess."

"Understandable, given everything that has happened to you in such a short amount of time… Quite a rapid escalation in importance for you, to all happen in under a year." Salme sounded amused still, and Jaune almost had the suspicion that she wasn't taking this seriously. The Grimm hovering behind her kind of dispelled that notion as fast as it came, though, "From a simple young Huntsmen hopeful without even having any Aura, to one of the most pivotal men of this century… Tell me, Jaune, how are you faring?"

"I'm okay, I guess. Can't really complain too terribly much." He could tell she wanted more, and sighed inside the helmet. The sound echoed louder than he had meant it too, and he resisted the urge to facepalm which would have probably made it worse. "I mean, I would love to have stayed in Beacon. Become a real Huntsmen, maybe fought in the Vytal tournament, gone on missions… I would have loved it, but this is my reality. I'm not going to try and fight it." He chuckled dryly, looking at Neo, and the small woman smiled and squeezed his shoulder affectionately before he looked back at the Grimm Queen, "I wouldn't trade it anyways."

"Because of your lover," The woman turned her off hand in circles, clearly trying to remember something, "Ah, Neo, yes?"

"Neopolitan." Cinder said helpfully, reclining in her chair with her arms crossed under her bust, "Roman's little underling. For a while I thought _they_ were sleeping together for a while, honestly, but I don't know their relationship."

"Superfluous now, of course." Salem continued, shrugging slightly at the other woman, "It requires a few very minor changes to our plans, of course, as a part of our deal. Nothing impossible though, of course."

"Good, good." He nodded, the Queen drumming her fingers on the table in front of her idly as she looked at him.

"Now then, you need to begin preparing yourself for our next major operation. You will be integral to it, after all." She pushed her chair back and stood, smiling at him before turning to Cinder, "Begin combat training with him, I will make a number of Beowolves, Ursai and Beringels available to assist. Tyrian as well, once he is free of his duties."

"Yes, my Mistress." Cinder said instantly, standing and bowing her head reverently.

"And you, Jaune." He straightened in his seat, the woman smiling almost malevolently at him, "You had best recall our arrangement at all times. An infraction from you, and we will march to Ansel and you will watch it burn. I keep my word, but only to those who honor theirs."

He didn't disbelieve her for even a moment.

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Blake was terrified utterly and frustrated to an extreme, though she didn't show it as she marched through the White Fang's underground hideout to her room to rest. Jaune wasn't here, he'd left already a few others whose names she'd had to get from a few Grunts, and she still couldn't get a message out to Ozpin yet to tell him.

She flinched when she passed through an intersection and heard the sneering, "Well hello there, kitty cat." She almost sun on the spot, managing to turn it into a much more casual one by force of will, and sighed when she saw Roman leaning against the wall, "What's the matter, kitty cat? Upset to see me?"

"Kind of." She muttered, forcing herself to relax and crossing her arms, "What do you want, Human?"

He looked around, down each direction in the dimly lit passage before pushing off the wall, "Cut the 'Human' crap, kitty cat. I'm here to help. You, not the Fang." She opened her mouth to ask what he could mean and he held up a finger, smiling before fishing out a cigar and match, "I can get a message out to dear ole Oz for you, just tell me what to say."

"Why would I need you to help me contact the headmaster of Beacon?" She was nervous, her heart beating faster every second and ears twitching on top of her head for danger, "I don't know if you head, but I was arrested for-"

"Wounding Goodwitch in an attempt to kill her." Roman interrupted, chuckling darkly, "Kitty cat, if it were that easy to hurt her, I'd have killed her already. Or a Grimm would have, or any number of other criminals, mercenaries and killers. You didn't wound jack aside from her reputation. If that, really."

"What are you talking about?" She asked, sighing and shaking her head. She stepped back when he blew the acrid smoke in the air, "Do you have to do that inside?"

"Yes, I do. All this double agent crap has my nerves shot to hell." he exhaled smoothly, the smoke billowing down the path she'd come from, "I got a message to a man of mine, and told him to get it to Ozpin somehow or another. Paid a good penny on it too. That's why you're here, kitty cat, not some attempt on Goodwitch."

Blake was quiet for a few seconds, hands clenched into fists in the crooks of her elbows, "Fine. But Jaune is gone, and I don't know where they went, so the plan is a bust now. What do we do?"

"Nothing." Roman said tiredly, shaking his head, "I'll get a message out to Junior and he'll pass it along same as always. I just came to talk to you so that you didn't do anything stupid." He gave her a glance and sighed, "And don't worry about the kid, kitty cat, he's got Neo watching his back. _She_ could probably hurt Goodwitch if she wanted to."

Blake swallowed anxiously and nodded, sighing slightly, "I hate that I have to trust you on this, Roman." He shrugged and she huffed, "Fine. But let me know as soon as you find anything out."

He nodded, and she stormed off. He of course neglected to inform her he had no way of _receiving_ messages for now, but oh well. "At least the kitty won't cause me any trouble for a while, while I figure this mess out." He chuckled at himself, tapping his cigar to drop the ash on the ground, "All the times to grow a conscience…"

Flicking out his Scroll, he sent yet another request to Junior to pass on more information to Ozpin. Along with a very substantial amount of Lien on offer for the job. He didn't get a response, of course, Junior knew he didn't need to do that.

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Raven smiled, watching Yang and Ruby play a game on their television in their room, perched on the landing outside it. Ruby managed to win for once and Yang hit her with a pillow, Raven cackling quietly in amusement. She turned her head when she heard a flutter of feathers, the familiar avian form of Qrow settling beside her on the sunlit windowsill. He cawed and bumped against her, jerking his head to the roof before taking off, and she sighed internally and followed. She changed back when she reached the roof, sinking to her knees as her body readjusted and looking at Qrow leaning against the door leading into the building with his arms crossed.

He'd always, always recovered from the changing faster than her. "What do you want, Qrow?" And yes, it did aggravate her.

"A stiff drink, a dark bar, and a gorgeous bar maid with a short skirt." He answered with a shrug, laughing quietly when she just glared at him. "For now, I'll settle with asking why you're spending afternoon on my niece's windowsill. You have to have better things to do than stalk them."

"I'm not stalking anyone." She defended,standing and crossing her arms, "I just… I wanted to see her. I never talk to her, though, so you can relax. Your sister is completely miserable, exactly as you want her to be."

"Is that what you think I want, Raven?" He barked harshly, glaring at her and surprising her with how quickly he'd become angry. "You think I want you miserable and my family, my _whole_ family, separated? I don't. I want everyone I care about together, happy and safe."

"Is that why you're so happy to throw your family to the Atlesian dogs?" She demanded hotly, tossing an arm out in the vague direction of Mistral, where the Clan was still waiting for her to return. "Because if you wanted your whole family together, there's not a damn thing Ozpin could do to stop you from making it happen."

"You really believe that? You think for even a second that General Irondick wouldn't have a small fleet over their heads in a minute if I tried?" He threw his hands up in the air as a small craft flew over, as though to prove his point, "Mistral wouldn't stop them coming in to 'save' some 'kidnapped' kids and wipe out a bandit tribe? They'd welcome it. Hell, they'd reward it, probably."

"We'd fight them, same as anyone else." Raven said quickly, resting a hand on her sword and smiling thinly, "If they think we'd go quietly, then-"

"They wouldn't think that." Qrow interrupted, shaking his head tiredly, "They'd assume that at least half of you are Huntsmen level, and deploy to fight that. First they'd bomb you to hell around the perimeter, then they'd deploy waves of drones, then Paladins and whatever the hell the older one is called, and then Ironwood and Winter would come down with the veterans to clean it up."

Raven was quiet for a long time and Qrow continued, "See? You get it. They can't win, and honestly? They should lose." Raven opened her mouth, but Qrow didn't let her get a comment in, "Rapists, killers, thieves and people for whom that is just fine as long as it benefits them. They deserve barely anything better than Grimm do."

"They raised you, Qrow. Protected you and trained you, and you would say that about them?" She sneered, shaking her head gently, "That is disgusting to me, and the exact opposite of everything we were taught."

"We were taught that the weak should only exist as a benefit for the strong. That a woman too weak to resist _deserves_ to be raped, a village too small to fight us off deserves to be razed. We were taught that being monsters was natural." He was yelling by the end, and standing straight instead of leaning against the door, "We both came to Beacon, though. Both of us. We both saw how wrong that was."

"Yes. Some of our ways aren't…. the gentlest, that's true." He scoffed, looking away from her, and she sighed, "But you're ignoring so much of it. The value of loyalty, of the clan taking care of its own."

"No, I'm not." He said dismissively, turning around and opening the door a crack, "Nor do I forget the lessons of honesty that they taught. That an inability to tell the truth made you weak. Maybe I should tell Yang the truth, huh Raven?"

"No!" Raven almost shouted, working her jaw when he turned to look at her, "Telling her would break our agreement, Qrow. You can't do that."

"I want you to think, Raven. Why are you so adamant that Yang never know about the Clan? If you think that they are right, that their ways are good, why are you so damn scared to let her know?" He slammed the door behind him before she could respond, and she sighed.

When she returned to the landing, he was playing the game with them now, with Ruby sitting in his lap comfortably.

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 **Twisted ~ Sorry for delays, been at work lately and busy. As always, please consider becoming a Supporter or a Subscriber on the Temple Walkers channel. Also, Supporters will soon be seeing stage one concept art for a show of our own production and design named Re:Programmed.**


	30. Honing

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 _ **Official Supporters:**_

 **SleeplessShippings**

 **Shadie**

 _ **If you want your name on the lists of my stories and videos, head over to P a t. R e . o n and search for the Temple Walkers. Just let us know you're from Fanfiction, alright? There's a thousand of you, so a dollar a piece would really add up and help me a lot! Once I reach five hundred Supporters of any value over a dollar, I will make a concerted effort to put out a chapter of something once every three days at the very slowest.**_

 _ **Further, on Vid . Me, if you subscribe you to us as a group, you can support us there and help us with two dollars a month. We'll be starting the Long Dark soon as a main series at the request of a Supporter, and you all can request them - and Fanfictions too, of course - on our P Supporter page. Pm for details, if you wish to help.**_

 _ **I hope you enjoy the chapter and, as always, drop a Review, a follow, and subscribe to our other platforms for more. An original story is going to be released on the Temple Walkers channel page for Halloween! And I would love critiques, opinions, thoughts or anything else you all may grant unto me.**_

 _ **Review responses at the bottom, by the way.**_

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Chess was a game Jaune rarely played, one he barely knew the gist of even _how_ to play at all. Cinder had visited him the next morning and asked if he would like to play a game, and when he'd told her this she looked almost offended and told him to get ready for the day. Full armor. They'd met outside and he'd followed her, this time without the 'test' of finding the way on his own, to a wide, round room.

"This is our Training Hall." She gestured at the room around them with a sweeping gesture as they reached the center of the room and she turned, "For centuries this Hall has seen warriors recruited by my Mistress train with the Grimm. To better hone their bodies, and later to command them. Tyrian and I were the first to have been raised here from a younger age, and so this Hall became a place of learning for us. And now, for you."

"And this has to do with… chess?" He asked, voice muted once more and Neo pouting behind him. She hated the helmet a large, large amoun, and he understood why. She couldn't speak with anyone but him easily at all, and the helmet took that away. "Ma'am." he aded when she raised an eyebrow.

"Chess, Jaune, has been used for centuries to train generals, officers and nobles. It is merely an entrance level item, of course. It hones one's mind into a tool able to comprehend more advanced tactics and battlefield theories." She smiled, pacing back and forth as she talked while Jaune's eyes followed her, head swivelling to keep her in view while he still adjusted to his helmet's new sight blockages. "You aren't what you were anymore, nor can you act as what you would have become. A Huntsmen, for all their might, is nothing more than a stronger pawn than normal. And you are no pawn, Jaune."

"Then what am I?" He asked quietly, tilting his head to the side slightly. He hated the idea of Huntsmen being nothing more than pawns, nameless, faceless soldiers sent off to die for bad reason or no reason with little true ability to alter the game. But… From what he'd learned so far, it seemed a rather apt comparison. "If I'm no pawn, then I have to be something else."

"Tell me what you think that answer is." She ordered quietly, crossing her arms under her bust and smiling thinly. "Consider it a test, of sorts." She added after he paused for a second too long.

"Not the King or the Queen, surely. I mean, they're too important, leaders of the entire army including its generals and officers. Right?" She nodded and he continued, arms hanging loosely at his sides in an effort to at least _look_ relaxed. "I don't know enough about the rest of our… associates, I guess?" She chuckled and nodded again, and he continued, "I don't know enough about them to guess. I would say Rook or Knight, but those might be better filled by others I don't know just yet."

"And you won't hazard a guess until you know more information." She smiled, inclining her head slightly and shrugging, "I suppose prudence should be rewarded, or encouraged at least, so I'll accept that answer. To be fair, the question wasn't meant to have a right answer. You don't serve such a niche role as of yet, but you're too important and powerful to be a pawn."

The door opened and he turned, watching two Beringels lumber into the room with a crate the size of Jaune himself. They carried it to Cinder's side and, at her order, sat it down and began unpacking it. "Chess set?" He guessed halfway through, Cinder chuckling quietly at something he didn't quite get.

"Yes, Jaune. A chess set. After the entire conversation we've been having thus far about chess, its uses, and the analogies you can draw from it, the odd box that my Grimm are unpacking is a chess set." She rolled her eyes, easing into a seat that one of the two Beringels sat behind her elegantly.

"Uh, thanks?" Jaune said as another was placed behind him and he sat down as well, while the two Grimm started clumsily setting the table up. Cinder chuckled at him for it and he looked at Neo, who was also giggling mutely, "What? My mom taught me to be polite, and they're Grimm, so I don't know what to do when they're not trying to eat me or something. It's habit. You can stop laughing now..."

"No, no, by all means continue, Jaune." She said, forcing herself to take in a breath and shaking her head to stop from laughing, "I've yet to see someone being polite to their Grimm servants, that's all. And you got so flustered so easily as well. A far cry from how you are normally, to be sure."

"This is me normally..." he said weakly, sighing and shaking his head, "Can we just… play, please?"

They spent the rest of the evening playing games, Cinder slowly coaching him until he could last more than ten minutes without her overwhelming him, "You need to start better utilising sacrifices with your pawns, Jaune. You won't defeat me here or anyone else out there, in actual battle, until you do."

"Out there?" He asked quietly, pausing with his hand on the furthest left pawn and looking at her instead, "I… figured I'd just be following your orders, mostly."

"Oh, you will." She agreed, smiling warmly at her - for Cinder, at least - and gesturing at Neo behind him, leaning on the top of his chair boredly and drumming a finger on his helmet, "As will she and Roman. You, however, will be accorded troops of your own and expected to succeed with them, in time. Grimm and Human or Faunus alike, you will lead them into combat wherever directed."

"Oh." It made sense, he guessed, to put someone like him over people. He'd know if they were spies, or if they questioned him, and passing secret orders would be simple and easily done in the midst of the briefing itself. PLans and orders could be handed off without any chance of being given away.

Not that Jaune felt any actual _comfort_ from that thought, something which Cinder easily picked up on, "Relax, Jaune. You changed our schedules enough due to our frankly hasty desire to get you out of the way that you won't have to worry about that." He could hear some minor contempt there, and understood it, "Unfortunately, it couldn't be helped. Infiltrating your Academy would have been nigh impossible with someone like you around. You'd have seen straight through our guise."

"Then why did she send those Grimm after me?" He asked, the woman humming in curiosity and looking up at him, waiting for him to continue. He sighed, moving the pawn forward two spaces, "Ozpin reacted because of what he saw happen. If she hadn't done that, then I wouldn't have been in that position, and you could have…"

"Dealt with you on our time and terms?" She asked, smiling in a predatory yet simultaneously satisfied way, "You want to know why she tried to _take_ you instead of _killing_ you outright. Don't you?"

"Well, I mean, yeah, kind of. I mean, it just makes more sense not to do that. Why do it? Or if she really wanted the, I guess convenience, of having my abilities why then?" He gestured around im, at the building around them, the Beringels and even reached up to touch his helmet, "Everything I have seen tells me that she is brilliant as a leader. But… impatient, slightly, I guess."

"I'd be careful who you say that too." She advised with an edge to her voice, eyes narrowed slightly, "Tyrian would try to kill you just for thinking such thoughts if he knew of it."

"I'm not talking to him, though." Jaune countered, watching her hand leisurely mirror his move and sliding that pawn's Rook forward behind it, "You know me at least slightly. You know me at least enough to understand curiosity isn't the same as wanting to betray her, or disrespecting her."

"Fair enough." She sighed, sliding the pawn in front of the King piece forward a tile and tapping her chin absently, "I don't confess to know, in all honesty. I never asked. You could consider asking my Mistress herself, but that isn't a very good idea. Even without your Semblance you can probably guess how you would feel about the consequences, even if she is lenient towards you as of now."

"Yeah, I kind of guessed, which is why I asked you." He sighed, scratching his chin and staring at the board in thought. He sighed when he didn't see any good moves, and within a few minutes, he'd lost another match. And Neo kept boredly drumming on his head.

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Blake's nerves were beyond shot the next morning when she woke up to Adam, pounding on the inside of her door with a fist and smiling lightly, "Blake. It's ten, time to move out."

She sat up, turning her head until her neck popped, "Where are we headed?" She asked, kicking the blankets off of her while the larger Faunus shut the door and turned his back so she could change, albeit hesitantly. Nervous over whether it was okay to do, probably.

"Vale." He chuckled, "You and I will be at a recruiting rally. The young woman, Beacon trained, who struck down the Headmistress of the Academy herself."

"That'll rally the crowds…" She drawled boredly, buttoning up her jacket, "I'm decent, by the way."

He turned, avoiding her eyes and tapping his foot lightly in a way Blake knew meant he was thinking about something very hard. "Blake, I… I know you don't like the way I am doing things under the name of the White Fang. I know you dislike it."

"Dislike it?" She asked shortly, turning to glare slightly at him. To her surprise, he actually flinched slightly under her gaze and it took him a moment to look up at her, "Adam, the people in Atlas called us monsters and animals. And your response is to directly validate everything they ever said and everything they say. And you'll claim it is all for equality. I'm sure."

"No, it isn't." He snapped quietly, soft enough and fearful enough to surprise her as his eyes met hers through the slits in his visor, "The fight for 'equality' ended a long time ago, now that I have had time to look at it. We fight for survival now, Blake."

"What does that even mean?" She asked quietly, surprised at the fear in his voice when he spoke banishing her anger. What could possibly frighten Adam Taurus? She'd never even seen him balk at a threat.

"You'll find out." He said dismissively, turning and opening the door, "For now, come with me. We have to rally the troops and get the recruits coming in."

Sighing, she decided to let it go for now and followed him, grabbing Gambol Shroud as she went, "And you're hoping to capitalize on me being there, since I attacked Goodwitch for what she did." It took a lot of Blake's focus to add the needed heat to her voice, to make it look as real as it needed to be, "That the plan?"

"Essentially." He grunted, sighing at the aggravation he heard at the start of her sentence, "As I was saying, I know you… Feel strongly about the tactics we employ. So I'm moving you to recruitment rather than combat missions."

Surprised, she blinked at his back before speaking, "Um, thanks you, Adam. I… hadn't expected that, really. I figured you'd want me as your partner again, after everything we've been through."

"I do." He admitted quietly, nodding at a passing Grunt as they walked, "But I learned from the last time, forcing my desires on you is a bad idea. I won't keep doing it to you." He smiled over his shoulder at her, "At least as much as I can, since you came back to me, love. If you hadn't… I don't know what I would of done."

Blake couldn't help the cold chill along her spine at all the things that implied. "Let's… just get moving, Adam. If we're doing this, let's get it done."

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"I don't care, Qrow. We don't need her and I don't want her here anymore. We aren't fighting the Grimm anymore, the kid is Dust knows where, and if we're settling in on garrison duty, I don't want her in the same Kingdom as Yang." Tai Yang argued hotly, Qrow standing in the middle of Ozpin's office with his arms crossed while the blonde jabbed a finger in his face and screamed. After a second, he turned to Ozpin, "This isn't part of what I agreed to do, Ozpin, and I refuse to do it."

"Tai, we have to gather our forces." Ozpin said with a tired sigh, Glynda and James flanking him with equally irritated expressions, "Within a few days, James' fleet will return to Atlas to gather reinforcements. Without his fleet's support, the Grimm will begin tearing away at our exterior defenses. We will need every single skilled combatant we can get. Raven Branwen included."

"I can send for my tribe as well, though most of them will require transport." She offered from the doorway leading to the elevator, sitting on the floor with legs crossed and leaning against the wall, "If it's that dire, they can be of service, for the right price."

"Your help would come with a price tag." Tai yang groused, shaking his head and sighing.

"I'm doing this for free, Tai Yang." She snapped hotly, glaring at him with baleful ruby eyes. "But I'm not some slave master, I can't _force_ them to do anything against their will. I would have to incentivise them with something."

"Oh, we're all well aware that you can't control those monsters." Qrow tossed, in, before sighing and turning to look at them, "But she's got a point, unfortunately. They might be killers, thieves and other assorted trash, but they can fight. Kind of necessary for bandits, between the Grimm and the authorities, and little ladies trying to hide their kids."

"You know damn well we don't kill kids, Qrow." Raven snapped, shooting to her feet with a hand on her sword. "And you talk a big game for a traitor and a woman stealer, you son of a-"

"Enough!" Ozpin shouted, standing and slamming a fist into his desk's surface and shattering the wood. Breathing heavily, he turned hard, hot eyes on each of the trio, "Your pettiness and infighting will not destroy Vale. I'll kill each of you myself before I allow that, and wipe out that tribe of yours, Raven, as well. So shut your mouths and listen."

James stepped forward, coughing lightly into his fist, "My crews are disembarking all combat personnel, reinforcing positions, deploying as many drones as possible and our Specialists are garrisoning the fortifications." He looked at Raven with a tired, defeated expression, "I'll donate one of my carriers and its escort for your… tribe's transport. They'll be well compensated in food and supplies for their assistance, you can assure them."

"I'll leave as soon as we're done then, and get them ready. When I have them together, I'll signal. Put your fleet over the waters near southern Mistral." He nodded, and she looked to Ozpin with angry and frightened eyes, "May I go?" He nodded and she drew her sword, turning before raising it and looking to him, "And you should know, should you ever come against us…"

"You'll all fight me with everything you have?" He asked, smiling amusedly and shaking his head, "I've wiped out plenty of tribes such as yours. But I would expect no less than your best effort, of course."

She nodded and swung, the rift opening in front of her and swallowing her. Qrow waited until it vanished entirely before speaking, he knew his sister could still hear until it vanished, "I have to say, the blonde blowhard here has a point about trusting her."

Tai scoffed, and Ozpin plopped into his seat unceremoniously, "I don't have any choice, Qrow. I don't know what comes next for Vale, but with Jaune's power and the proper motivation…"

"What could motivate him to work with our enemies, Ozpin?" Glynda asked quietly, chewing her lip and shaking her head, "He's young, not too strong, but he's a good man inside. He'd never abide what they no doubt plan."

"They'd convince him that working with them will help people, likely by mitigating casualties." Ozpin said quietly, resting his chin in his hand and closing his eyes, "If Jaune believed earnestly that turning to their side would save innocent lives, he'd do it. He'd die for that goal, protecting people. What would stop him betraying himself for it?"

"I told you, Ozpin. Told you that he couldn't be trusted, left to run around so freely." James snapped, stepping to the side of the desk and trying to meet the man's gaze. He kept his eyes closed, breathing gently, and james slammed his prosthetic into the table and through it, "Damn it, Ozpin, you never listen, or even learn it seems!"

"James-"

Ozpin held up a hand, Glynda going silent at the gesture, and the old man opened his eyes to regard the irate general, "Do you know how many mistakes, I have made James?" The general didn't answer, eyes searching Ozpin's hard ones, "I have made more mistakes than every single man, woman and child in any Kingdom you have ever been to or seen. And several you haven't."

"Yes, I am well aware of them, Oz." he said quietly, leaning back and breathing out heavily, "You've told me quite a few of them, and-"

"I am responsible for Salem, the Queen of the Grimm, existing in her present state." He said quietly, watching the man and, behind him, Qrow's surprised reactions. "Long ago, long enough you wouldn't believe me if I told you, I found a young girl. Her flesh was pale, black veins spider webbing across her body."

"It was in a town named Aslem, a few weeks north of what would eventually be Vale. I walked into town with my four… daughters, I suppose. We were travelling, and we saw her running towards us." He sighed reaching for his mug and holding it to Qrow, "I could use a drink for this, now I think of it, my friend."

"Uh, sure, Oz." He said quietly, walking forward awkwardly in the tense silence and pouring much of the flask into his mug.

"Thank you, Qrow." He said quietly, sighing and taking a long drink, "She was young, barely fifteen, and saw us. She cried out to us to help her, and an arrow slammed into her leg. She screamed and we ran towards her, when her blood began pooling on the ground and turned into a Creep-"

"She summoned a Grimm by bleeding?" James interrupted, looking shocked and staggering back at the news.

"Yes." Ozpin said with a sigh, "And behind her, a dozen villagers were chasing her. A Hunter felled the weak creature easily and tried to stab her. I saved her, and we took her from there. Long later, I realized the darkness at her heart. Too late, of course, to change it. The way of things it seems."

"He tried to kill her after that, when he found her gazing at a burning village. Hers, where he'd saved her." Glynda said helpfully, stepping forward and taking his hand to convey some manner of comfort to her friend. "She escaped, and ever since… We've been waging a losing war with the Grimm, now with a leader."

They said nothing for a long moment before James turned, walking towards the elevator, and Glynda spoke quietly, "James, don't…"

"I will honor my agreements, Oz." He said lowly, voice devoid of anything other than pure shock. "But… As for everything else, I need to go."

Glynda made to follow and Ozpin held out a hand, catching her wrist, "You needed a few days too, Glyn." She flinched at the familiar name, something she hadn't heard in years, "Go to him, but don't press him. Let him come at his own pace. Remember to use the sling and bandages, we mustn't let Miss Belladonna's fate be decided by our own emotions."

She nodded, and Qrow watched her go with tired eyes, fishing his flask out with slightly trembling hands, "So, uh, you're-"

"Him. Yes." He said, chuckling quietly, "Your guess was correct, all those years ago, when I told you part of my story. You joked, and thought I was as well, but you were correct all the same."

"Son of a bitch…"

"Indeed."

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"James." She called, walking behind him as quickly as she could with her arm in a fake sling and bandages wrapped around her head, to keep the lie they'd told at least salvageable. He walked stiffly through the halls, brushing past students and soldiers on patrol. He ignored her as they rounded a corner and left the building, heading towards his borrowed office, and she sighed and reached out, using her Semblance to latch onto his clothing and freezing it in place.

He tugged his arms and legs a few times and sighed, "I hate it when you do that to me, Glynda."

She walked forward and rested her free hand on his back, freeing him, and sighed, "And I hate when you get into one of your stubborn moods. But alas, here we are."

"He could have prevented so much loss, Glynda." He argued, holding up his prosthetic arm and looking at the gloved hand, "I lost my arm to Grimm, they were acting more tactically than we had been trained to handle. Who is to say that Ozpin's failure isn't what let this happen?"

"James, you've known the Grimm had a leader for years now." She argued quietly enough none could hear, sighing and stepping around and in front of him. The huge man let his arm droop, looking around at the soldiers watching them. They began to disperse immediately, and he returned his gaze to her, "The only thing that has changed is some minor involvement on Ozpin's part."

"He saved her life."

"He saved a child, that's all he could truly know." She countered, smiling sadly at him, "I would have done the same thing. As would you have. He is a Huntsmen at heart, James, as are you. And I am a Huntress. Protecting the innocent is our duty, and we can't always know the result. A child we saved could have ended asa White Fang terrorist."

He grunted and sighed, stepping past her and resuming his walk to the borrowed office. She almost stopped him again, but noticed that the anger had dissipated a great deal. Not entirely, which meant she was in for a long night indeed, and she sighed.

Nothing was ever easy for her when men were involved. Why couldn't they just make sense like women did?

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Pyrrha spun, lashing out with her sword and beheading the training drone easily while she blocked a strike from the other on her flank, pushing the shield into its guard, a burst of fire swallowing it and letting it drop to the ground in a semi-melted heap. Spinning and shifting her blade into spear-form, she impaled the third drone as it charged in and hurled her shield, decapitating the drone behind it before embedding in another that collapsed under the force and yanking her spear free in both hands,.

Turn, she used the shaft of the spear to block yet another blade, kicking out and shattering its knee. It looked up at her, stabbing at her legs, and she held her off hand above it, fire bellowing out in a roar and swallowing it while she spun the spear on her palm, using the point to deflect a sword strike aimed for her head and stabbed in several times at its chest, each hit yanking wires free.

Spinning on the spot and twirling her free hand, she used condensed air to throw aside five more of the training dummies, slamming them into the wall across the room hard enough to compact the metal under the air.

Hearing heavy steps, she turned to regard her final opponent, standing ten feet taller than herself. Unlike the dull grey and silver training dummies from Atlas, this machine was built for war from the start. Armor able to shrug off mild explosives covered the Autonomous Atlesian Bishop, a large halberd gripped in both hands and its regal, knightly head peering down at her coldly. Taking several steps back, she stamped on the edge of her shield where it rested, embedded in the Atlesian Dummy.

Catching it in her free hand, she slid into a familiar defensive form, her shield locked in front of her and her spear resting on its upper rim.

The machine spun, faster than she'd thought possible, and swung its halberd at her. Surprised, she barely managed to get her shield in front of it, and was hurled across the room without air in her lungs. Using her power, she summoned condensed air and used it to stop her gently, letting her land and sink into a kneeling posture on the floor while she caught her breath.

Charging forward, the Bishop stabbed its halberd down,burying it in the ground where she'd been. She slammed into its chest with her shield, propelling herself with condensed air and burying her spear in its armor, sparks barking forth from the metal grinding against metal. She raised her hand, fire spewing at its head, blackening the metal slowly. Its right hand wrapped around her torso and squeezed, hard enough to drive her air from her lungs and that she felt her ribs straining even under her Aura. The fire died and her hand dropped to the fingers, trying in vain to free herself.

It hurled her into the ground and she screamed against her will, blinking and rolling out of the way as its boot slammed into the ground. She came to her feet in time to see a massive fist coming, barely catching it on her shield and sliding back to the center of the room.

In the stands, Nora's hand covered her mouth as she watched her friend's Aura spark and fail, and she turned to Ren, "We have to stop this, Ren. She could die!"

He knew that, but sighed, and wrapped an arm around her shoulders, "She asked us to watch. We should do as she asks, for now. The droid shouldn't be able to actually kill her, it's just a training model after all."

And besides, he thought. Why would she be _smiling_ if she wanted or needed help?

Pyrrha's face was bright, a wide, almost insane smile splitting it as she rose. Her eyes landed on her spear, still hanging in its chest, and her smile widened further as she summoned up all the power she could manage, leaping into the air using condensed air, and slamming her shield into the spear, forcing it through the machine's body and letting it clatter to the ground a few feet behind it. The machine staggered, and she shoved her arm into the hole, jagged steel cutting into her flesh as fire roared forth, swelling in its chest in a spinning fireball as the machine slowly overheated and collapsed, slamming into the ground in a burst of sparks and fire and smoke, a confused chittering of damaged machine-speak.

Standing upright, she looked into the stands, straight at Nora and Ren, and smiled despite her bleeding arm, " _This_ is why I accepted Ozpin's offer. This power will help Jaune."

Neither of the other two could bring themselves to enjoy it or appreciate the power as Pyrrha allowed a medical drone to wrap her arm.

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The Valean First Recon Liuetenant Andrew Tosser raised his rifle as the target exited the building, speaking into his radio quietly, "V-1 reporting. Target Tigress is confirmed alive, present and not incarcerated." He pressed a button on the side of his rifle, triggering a special camera mounted to the scope and taking a series of photos that were sent directly to his superiors, "Orders?"

"Maintain position and cover, V-1." The voice crackled in his headset, "Do not engage unless you get a clean, solid target on Bull. Eliminate him with prejudice if possible, and attempt to fire at Tigress. Do not wound her unless not doing so would compromise her. Over."

"Understood." He said quietly, ending the call and following the Tigress and Bull onto a craft before sighing and lowering the rifle as they lifted off.

Once the craft was gone completely, enough that he knew the Fang wouldn't waste supplies only to bring it back, he slid back down the small hill and turned to his partner. Both were Recon Operators, wearing full body camouflage fatigues, wrapped at the shoulders and ankles. A loose black cloak hung from their shoulders, spotted green in multiple places for camouflage. A military helmet with the same pattern rested on their heads, bandanas covering their faces. One was a man, the other a woman, though you could barely tell.

"Orders?" She asked in a whisper, handing him a canteen and reclining against the small hill so she could scarcely see over it, "Are we moving?"

"Negative. We're to hold position, in hopes of eliminating Bull and assisting Tigress. Hold fire unless you can get a confirmed kill" He relayed, handing her the rifle, "Your turn for watch."

"Understood." She said, taking it and crawling up the hill slowly, only stopping for a moment to call back, "Make sure the damn Grimm don't crawl up my back, alright?"

"Affirmative." He said, relaxing only marginally and enjoying the ration pack and rest while he watched the small cameras they'd placed in a tight perimeter around their site.

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Jaune's sword rose, barely managing to block Neos', and his shield mirrored it as Hazel's massive fist slammed into it. Unfortunately the man's strength was immense, and crushed through his block, knocking him to the ground as he and Neo straightened and back away, the gruff man crossing his arms, "You're too weak, boy. Just as I expected when I saw you."

After a few hours of chess, the massive man had arrived and Cinder had introduced him as his 'new fitness instructor', and the man had sighed. Standing, Jaune straightened his helmet and sighed in much the same way while he tried to catch, "S-Sorry. I know I'm not there, but I'll do my best, sir."

"My name's Hazel. Use it." He grunted, offering his hand. Jaune took it, and the man pulled him to his feet, "You have some skill, however. Trained by that Nikos girl while you were there?"

"Yes and no." He answered, rolling his shoulders, "I can… absorb skill from people, kind of, if I can use my power around them while they fight. I don't get the physical parts, but-"

"Then you keep that helmet on whenever and wherever we train, boy." He interrupted gruffly, staring him down heavily, "Such methods make for a weak fighter and man, even if they're accidents. I won't have a pupil of mine be either."

"I understand, Hazel." He said respectfully, smiling behind his helmet.

"Then go on. You're free for the day. I push you too hard and you'll break." He turned without another word.

Jaune watched him leave with a slightly surprised look before turning to Neo, "He's kind of weird..." She raised an eyebrow and gestured at him, then their surroundings, then shrugged. "Yeah, guess everything here is kind of weird. Wanna head back to my… room, I guess? What do I even call that?"

Sighing silently and pulling her Scroll out, she typed out for him, " _Call it a room, a dorm, an apartment, or whatever. Won't really matter."_

They both turned, walking towards the door and heading back to the building quietly. Eventually, Jaune swallowed nervously and spoke, "So, uh… I was wondering… Do you, uh, want to, um…"

" _Yes, we can screw if you want. Also, you're adorable."_ He sighed and rubbed the back of his neck as they walked, and she laughed mutely at him.

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 _ **[Archive Entry 108974] Valean Special Forces and Frontier Defences - Valean Field Force Recon**_

 **The Valean Field Force Recon, or VFFR, is the Kingdom of Vale's answer to a series of things, including the White Fang's insurgency styled tactics which have resulted in deployment levels not seen since the Great War.**

 **Originally, the VFFR was born out of the need to combat Vacuo's style of waging war. Vacuoan forces would often lay ambushes, bombs, traps and sabotage enemy advances. This fed a need in Vale's military for a force to counter that style of combat, resulting in mirroring it to understand it and therefore end it. As a result, the VFFR is a force of attrition for armies in any land, including their own.**

 **Typically made of of the best Huntsmen that wish to join, highly trained soldiers with Aura, and the most lethal bandits who would do anything to survive as well as armed with specialised high power rifles tipped in a special metal that can pierce Aura, the VFFR is not a force that one fights, so to speak, even for Huntsmen. It is one that you hide from, and pray not to combat.**

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 _ **Blaseing Fire**_ **: Thanks, glad you liked it.**

 _ **Tutrya**_ **: Kind of what I was going for, yeah. Information gathering, and being Neo's grounder, in many ways. Don't get me wrong, their relationship is… kind of fucked up, in a lot of ways.**

 _ **Anand891996**_ **: Think less Mandalorian, more Crusader meets Spartan.**

 _ **Ninjafang**_ **: Thanks, bro. Glad you enjoyed it.**

 _ **Scott Usa**_ **: Yeah, Slame is evil. Not a good person. But I do hope to flesh her out more as chapters go on, and kind of explain the smugness a lot more than I have thus far or the show has thus far.**

 _ **Eberhardt**_ **: I have been working on the issues you raise, but I have been slow going on it. My Beta also had to depart for personal reasons for a while, so I am still learning. Thanks for the input.**

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 **Quick Note : If anyone has suggestions on how to write Hazel, I would appreciate it. Also, a question, how much of people's** _ **training**_ **should I show and how much should I say? I would hate to waste time boring people.**


	31. Therapeutic

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 _ **Official Supporters:**_

 **SleeplessShippings**

 **Shadie**

 _ **If you want your name on the lists of my stories and videos, head over to P a t. R e . o n and search for the Temple Walkers. Just let us know you're from Fanfiction, alright? There's a thousand of you, so a dollar a piece would really add up and help me a lot! Once I reach five hundred Supporters of any value over a dollar, I will make a concerted effort to put out a chapter of something once every three days at the very slowest.**_

 _ **Further, on Vid . Me, if you subscribe you to us as a group, you can support us there and help us with two dollars a month. We'll be starting the Long Dark soon as a main series at the request of a Supporter, and you all can request them - and Fanfictions too, of course - on our P Supporter page. Pm for details, if you wish to help.**_

 _ **I hope you enjoy the chapter and, as always, drop a Review, a follow, and subscribe to our other platforms for more, or become a Supporter to support us more directly. We'll be getting a house soon, so extra money can help a lot! Review responses at the bottom, by the way.**_

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Jaune moved a Rook forward, smiling behind his helmet, "Check." A week had passed now, practicing combat with Hazel and Chess with Cinder.

"Good work. You've managed to finally get me into check," she uncrossed her legs, leaning forward and sliding her Queen across the board to his right corner, trapping his King piece between her Queen and a wall of his own pawns and pieces. "Unfortunately, while you were assaulting my own lines, I snuck a powerful attacker right into your house. Were this a true battle, you would be dead, and your allies as well."

"Damn… I thought I finally had you." He turned when Neo tapped the side of his helmet, the small woman smiling at him when he turned to look at her and flicking the metal over his nose. "Yeah, I lost, I know. Don't rub it in, Neo, or I'll have Mii take all the ice cream out of the freezer."

She pouted, typing furiously at her Scroll for a few seconds before showing it to him, lips pursed and glaring at him cutely, " _You do that, and my legs and mouth close shop for a week, Jaune."_

"O-Okay, I won't!" Her pout stayed, and he scratched the back of his neck nervously under her gaze, "I'll even have Mii get you some cherries from storage to eat with your ice cream! Okay?"

She stepped back, looking at the roof and tapping her chin with her finger in thought for several seconds, and Jaune looked at Cinder. The other woman was smirking, clearly amused at some part of the back and forth he couldn't identify. He looked down at the Scroll she pushed under his nose, " _Well, alright, I guess. But you're still in trouble later."_

He dreaded what that meant a great deal, but Cinder coughed to get his attention before he could ask what that meant, "You should know, Jaune, you are improving quite quickly. But we don't have forever to spend filling you to the brim with everything you need to do what needs to be done. So while pursuing…" she pursed her lips and looked Neo up and down, and the woman raised an eyebrow in response and gave her a once over in return before sticking her tongue out, "your extracurricular activities with Neo, you need to be bettering yourself as well."

"How?" He asked honestly, resetting the board leisurely, "Like, what do you want me to do to 'better myself'? I don't mind doing it, I just want to know what I should aim for."

"Study." She said simply, smiling warmly at him in the fake way she did. "History, geography, political standings in the Kingdoms, military structures and symbols, all of these could be useful knowledge. After all, knowing who in a squad is the leader could allow you to get them to surrender if you were to take him as a hostage, for example."

Neo shoved her Scroll in front of him again, and he had to lean back to see it in his helmet, " _If you learn all of this stuff, you'll be able to save more lives. That's what she's saying."_

He read it off to Cinder, and she nodded, "Exactly." She stood, smiling as she walked towards the door and past him, trailing a finger along his helmet's chin, "You see, my Mistress is an honest one, but she doesn't truly care for our desires." She stepped behind him, resting her hands on his shoulders, brushing against his throat, and he held a hand up to stop Neo when she stepped forward with stormy brown eyes, "A wise choice, when I have a hand at your throat, Jaune."

"I know you won't hurt me." Jaune said, and Cinder wrapped a hand around his throat gently in response. His heart sped up, but he didn't move to try and stop her even if Neo clearly wanted to, "It's not trust, before you ask. I know you won't without reason, it'd waste all the effort you've put in. I'm useful, willing and incentivized to be loyal, and haven't done anything to you."

AFter a second, she chuckled and stepped back on his left side, passing by Neo as she walked back around the chess board, "Good work. Even without your Semblance, you're learning our motivations and personalities, and using that information." She turned to him, smiling almost proudly in a twisted way, "Now, imagine that same talent of yours turned on, say, the Council of Vale? Or an Atlesian General?"

"I'd be able to force them to give up." He said quietly, unnerved by Cinder's smile for a reason he couldn't quite put into words, "And if they start giving up rather than fighting, then I can save lives in the long run."

"Exactly." She said, nodding and looking past him as the door opened behind them, "Ah, Hazel. Is it that time already?"

"Yes." He grunted, Jaune standing and starting to put the pieces in a small box while Neo moved their chairs. Hazel watched him mutely with Cinder at his side until they were done, and the woman left. Hazel watched her go and shook his head, "I don't like her, boy. Do you know why?"

Jaune thought for a few seconds, the man's brow raised slightly and arms crossed, before he spoke, "You don't like people who play word games and mind games?" He offered, the man nodding. They stood in silence for a few seconds before Jaune spoke again, "So, uh, what are we doing today?"

"Strength and endurance training." He grunted shortly, "Two hundred pushups, now. We'll fight later, don't worry."

Because combat training wasn't harsh enough, now he had muscle training, endurance training AND combat training… Perfect.

"Enough." Hazel grunted after almost forty-five minutes, watching Jaune pant around the room for the twentieth time as he came to a stop in front of him and sank to his knees, breathing heavily, "You're getting stronger."

Jaune looked up at the comment, panting echoing inside the helmet annoyingly, "T-Thank you, Hazel."

He grunted, offering a hand to him, "Shouldn't kneel like that, blocks up your throat." Jaune took it, letting the bear of a man pull him to his feet and maneuver his arms so they were crossed over his head instead, "Like that, opens up your lungs more. Lets you breathe deeper."

True enough, after a few moments he felt his breathing calming along with his heart rate, "Thanks. Where'd you learn the trick?"

"Vacuo. Was in the Guard there when I was younger." He gestured at his arms, "They wanted me in the Guard bad."

"I'll bet." Jaune said, letting his arms drop to his sides and taking a deep breath, "You look like you could rip a Beowolf in half if you wanted to." He grunted and nodded, and Jaune's eyes widened, "Wait, you actually can?"

"Yep." He said, "Now get ready, it's time for a few spars." Jaune heard Neo land next to him from… somewhere she disappeared off to when he was running, and turned to see her draw her sword excitedly, "Not today, girl. One on one time."

She pouted at him and then Jaune, before sighing and walking off, "Wish you hadn't done that, she'll be uppity all day now, Hazel."

He shrugged and brushed past Jaune, walking to the center of the room before speaking, "You're not up to fighting several people. Not at that level yet." Jaune followed, him out to the center of the room. "One on one, so I'm not holding back, though.

Drawing his sword and shield, Jaune slid into his old stance, amalgamated with Pyrrha's after being exposed to her for so long. Shield pressed an inch from his chest, and sword off to his right, pointing at the floor with his arm pulled back slightly. Hazel simply raised his fists, waiting for Jaune to say he was ready.

The moment he did, Hazel closed the few feet between them faster than any man his size had a right to move, and Jaune flinched at it. He raised his sword and swung for the man's chest, and Hazel blocked it with his left forearm before grabbing it with his other and turning. Pressing his back against Jaune's shield, he yanked Jaune into the air over his shoulder and slammed him into the ground hard enough to drive the breath from his body.

"Fast reaction, but a bad one." He grunted, stepping around Jaune and offering him a hand, "But when you got here, wouldn't have even had a reaction in time before I clocked you."

"Yeah, I know." He grunted as the large man helped him up, or more accurately lifted him off of the ground and set him on his feet. Jaune didn't really have any involvement beyond his arm being attached. "You just… move too damn fast for me, Hazel. At least for now, you know?"

"Hm." He grunted, walking back to the starting point and looking at him, "Keep trying then, see if you can start catching up."

Jaune stood for a few seconds, catching his breath and thinking. Hazel always rushed him, even if Neo was 'helping' Jaune in training too. Jaune would always slash and try to back away, and Hazel would block with his left arm before countering in some manner. Whether that was with his fists or by flinging Jaune around the room like a sack of potatoes, it didn't matter. Jaune could predict up to at least the counter, and use that to try and get inside his guard.

Jaune nodded curtly, sliding into his familiar form once again, and Hazel threw himself at him again. This time, Jaune didn't swing madly at him when his feet landed and Hazel started to hammer against his shield. Instead, he took a note from Neo's book, and _turned_ with his shield when Hazel's fist landed for the third time. He'd tried this before, always trying to swing at his open back.

Instead, when Hazel slammed back, Jaune caught it on his shield and turned again, ending up in front of him and swinging at Hazel's surprised face as he fell back, off balanced by the lack of something to hit. Hazel's arms crossed in front of him to block off the attack, but Jaune pulled it back and instead slammed his shield into Hazel fully with his body's weight behind him. That, coupled with the loss of balance, caused Hazel to fall with Jaune on top of him in a jumble of metal and men. Jaune tried to bring his blade around, but it was trapped between his shield and Hazel's chest where it had ended up at some point in their fall.

Before he could think up another plan, Hazel's arms wrapped around his body and squeezed, Jaune gasping as his back popped and the breath was driven out of him. Then he threw the blonde off of him, sitting up on the floor and watching Jaune catch his breath for a moment before standing up and rolling his neck.

"Never tackle someone much stronger than you unless you have a knife." He gestured at the sword in his hand, scraping against the stone floor as Jaune moved, "Good plan, though. Want a good knife?"

"Yeah, sure." He said quietly, reaching up with his hands and sheathing Crocea Mors and groaning, "Ugh, I think you broke something…" Neo landed on his hips with a thud and he groaned louder, the girl giggling mutely, "And there goes the rest of me."

"Hm." He grunted again, Neo scrabbling to get away before he caught her collar and lifted her off him like a cat. She clasped her hands in front of herself, smiling innocently when he turned her to face him, "I told you. Behave during training."

She held up her Scroll to him, " _But I'm bored."_

Hazel sighed and looked at him as he sat up on the floor, and Jaune shrugged, "She gets bored easily."

"Hm." He dropped her on the floor next to him unceremoniously, "She could always clean up your quarters then." She blinked owlishly at him for a second, the large man smirking and crossing his shoulders, "If you're that bored, work."

She shook her head and hopped up, bouncing to the corner and plopping into the chair before crossing her legs and nodding curtly.

After a few seconds, Jaune turned to look up at Hazel, "Can we end combat training and start on you teaching me how to keep her controlled, Hazel? I don't remember Roman even having that much control over her."

"Later." He grunted, turning and returning to his start position, "Maybe. If you drop my Aura to the orange."

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The shopping districts of Vale are a series of long, bright avenues spiraling out from a large fountain and park in the northern section of Vale. Between the busy streets of brightly lit stores, stalls, buildings and the bright boardwalk of it, warehouses for storing the goods sat, dark and grey clashing in large blocks with the bright and colorful shops around them, eventually culminating in the waters at the far north of Vale..

"Just try to relax, Weiss-cream." Yang said cheerily as they walked through Vale's streets towards the shopping district's center, the waters around Vale visible in the far distance. "Just a couple of girls, out shopping ahead of the Vytal Festival. Nothing odd or weird or… suspicious there at all, right?"

"Are you trying to convince me, or you?" The Heiress asked with a raised eyebrow, sighing when the blonde grinned and shrugged. "Honestly, between the two of us, I don't see how you think we'll find anything. The White Fang won't be out in the open at the shopping district of all places."

"Then I guess we'll just get some nice clothes." Yang said, faking a sad sigh, and throwing her arms in the air. Weiss tried not to get jealous when everyone looked at her for it, "Oh! And strawberries for Ruby, she loves them."

"You give her too many sweets as is, Yang." Weiss sighed, shaking her head, "But I suppose fruit isn't that bad for her. Does she like apples, oranges, and so on?"

"Oh yeah, she loves anything sweet." Yang said quickly with a bright smile, doing her best to ignore that odd feeling on the back of her neck. Like she was being watched, which she was by every guy on the street, but this was a different kind of being watched. "So, uh, yeah, fruits and stuff are great if you want to butter Ruby up for something. Oh! You should stock up on strawberries to use as treats to get her to study with you more."

"Treats?" Weiss asked with a raised eyebrow, almost giggling, "Is she a puppy?"

"I dunno, maybe?" Yang offered weakly, shrugging, "I mean, have you _seen_ her pouts? It's awful!"

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Blake watched from the rooftop, barely peering over at them with Adam at her side, tapping his foot aggravatedly. The two were dressed to be as inconspicuous as possible, Adam wearing a simple white shirt under a black jacket with his rose stenciled into his right shoulder over denim pants and heavy boots. Of course, the sword in his hands ruined part of the disguise, but that was par for the course and not as bad as his mask and horns.

Blake on the other hand was wearing a horrendous frilly lily skirt under a white blouse, both of which showed off far more skin than she was comfortable. The disguise was mostly so the sun hat she was wearing matched up well enough not to arouse suspicion. She had only a few options to hide her ears, and her bow might have aroused offence from their recruit options. Who would follow revolutionaries who seem to hate what they are?

"We should just take them, Blake. We won't hurt the blonde, but the Schnee-"

"Found out about my heritage weeks ago, and not only kept it quiet for me, but even took me aside to privately inform me she intends to meet with the White Fang when she inherits her business and discuss better contracts and conditions for her workers." Blake interrupted, sighing quietly and hoping he'd accept the argument, "We fight people who judge others for how they're born, Adam. What does it say if we do the exact same thing?"

"I want to hear it from her." Adam said shortly, hand gripping his sword tightly.

"Alright, fine." Blake growled, thinking for a few seconds.

This hadn't been what they were supposed to be doing, they'd been talking to recruits and recruiters for the better part of yesterday and had continued it into today until someone arrived and said a Schnee was close by. Adam had charged off straight away, and Blake had only just convinced him not to attack two Huntresses-in-training in the center of Vale right next to several of their recruiting bases.

He started to crouch-walk towards the ladder, and she grabbed his arm, "No, we follow them for now. Wait until they're alone. And no sword, we're not going to fight we're going to talk. And you can't wear your mask either, we don't want to get spotted."

"I'm not going anywhere without my weapon or my mask, Blake." He growled, yanking his arm free roughly and pausing before sighing. "Look, Blake… Things between us got bad before you left, I see that now. And I am trying, so…" He sighed before sitting on the roof next to the ladder, crossing his legs, "You get them to come here then, and we'll talk about a few things."

"Thank you, Adam." She hesitated before kneeling down beside him and wrapping her arms awkwardly around his shoulders. It took a second of surprised stillness before his off hand reached up to wrap around her shoulder, "I know you're trying, it's just… Things have to change if we want to change the world for the better."

He grunted, and she pulled away with a small smile. Maybe being with the White Fang was going to be a good thing at the end of the day after all?

Dropping from the roof top, she walked out onto the boardwalk, looking for all the world like a normal shopper on the streets. She followed the brightly colored duo for a while, listening to the two chat as best she could from about ten feet away until they ducked into a small dress shop. She waited for a few minutes before going in, spotting Weiss alone on a small bench by a changing room. Aside from the duo, the only person around was the cashier who wasn't paying any attention at all.

She kicked off her heels at the door, slinking towards the inattentive Schnee and, swallowing a nervous sigh, sliding into the set next to her, wrapping an arm around the Heiress, "W-Who do you think-"

"Shut up, Weiss, before Yang hears." Blake murmured in her ear, watching the pale legs under the door move back and forth as she changed outfits. "I'm here on behalf of the leader of the White Fang in all of Vale, Weiss, so keep quiet."

"Ruby and Yang still have faith in you, you know." She whispered lowly, Blake casually wrapping an arm around her shoulders and draping her hand across the bottom of her neck. The Faunus could hear and feel her pulse speed up, and sighed, "Was it misplaced?"

"No." She said quietly, standing and making the Schnee rise with her. "It wasn't, even if I can't explain everything right now. Just…" She sighed as she slid her heels back on and led the Schnee out of the store, "You told me that you wanted to talk to the White Fang, right? Try to make things right peacefully?"

"Yes, but being escorted there with one of their member's hand on my throat isn't how I intended to have that happen." She said quietly as they made the return trip, before Blake turned them into the alleyway and she hesitated for a moment. "Just tell me if this ends up with me dead, Blake. You don't have to lead me on for that, I'm unarmed and you have your hand on my throat."

"That's not the intention here." She said, stopping them at the ladder and letting her go. She hated having to push Wiss around like this, but Adam and countless others were no doubt watching her. She had a part to play."Climb up."

The Schnee climbed the ladder, doing her best to be as dignified as possible despite the fact that if Blake cared, she'd get an eyeful and after a moment the two were on the roof, Adam having moved across it to the edge of the building where it overlooked the boulevard with a sign between them, throwing the roof nicely into shadow.

"Schnee." He growled, the girl flinching back at the sword resting across his lap before walking across the roof and sitting a few feet away from him, primly folding her legs.

"I haven't had the pleasure of getting your name, sir." She was nervous, Blake could tell, but Weiss wasn't trained in business for fun. She knew how to handle others in a negotiation. "My name is Weiss, though. I prefer that name to my maiden one."

Adam looked at Blake when she hopped onto one of the small vents near her and nodded before looking back at the smaller girl, "Fine then, Weiss. We spotted your friend and you walking around, and many of us wanted to just kill you." He let that sit for a moment, and the girl shifted nervously, "Blake suggested differently though. She suggested we… speak."

"About?" She asked, looking at Blake.

"When you first found out about me being a Faunus, you… too me aside, and told me your future plans." Blake gestured to Adam, "Well, here is Adam, a leader of the White Fang, willing to listen to what you have to say." And if you say it well, you could make a huge difference in the world and save lives. "So tell him."

She nodded curtly, pausing to think for a few seconds before looking at the man opposite her, "My family's history is a long one, relatively. How much of it do you know?"

"Only that your father took over the business a few decades back, and essentially enslaved my people." Adam growled lowly, grip tightening on his sword. "But by all means, enlighten me. Now's the only chance you'll get, after all."

"My grandfather took over the business after my great grandfather passed away. At that time, the Schnee name didn't mean anything. We were barely a competition for the store around the corner…" She sighed, reaching up to tuck a lock of hair behind her ear, "My grandfather gambled everything on an expedition, which he lead himself, into the mountains miles from anything civilized. And he discovered a huge vein of Ice Dust, deep in a dark cave. A year later, operations were in full swing exporting that Dust to the Kingdoms. He said the Faunus were invaluable to the success of the expedition, and went to pains to give them equitable contracts, often paying extra for Faunus fighters since they could see in the dark."

"Then my… father, for lack of a better term, married into the Schnee name and, as soon as my grandfather became old enough, had him carted off to an old retirement home. Under him, the Schnee name has been dragged through the mud. People, especially Faunus, have suffered." She looked him in the eyes as best she could behind the mask, "I intend to return to the old way of conducting our business. That's why I am at Beacon, sir. I intend to fight for everyone, including your people, as though they were my family."

The three were quiet for a long time until Adam drew his sword, looking at the red blade. Weiss and Blake both did so as well, in fear and readiness for a fight, "I killed your cousin with this sword." He looked when her hands gripped tighter in her lap and her breathing became heavier, "Do you know why? Why I kill people, I mean."

"Because you think that it's the only way to get the effect you want." Weiss asked quietly, looking at the ground sadly and smiling, "And I suppose you intend that for me as well, Adam?"

"No." He said, standing and sheathing it, the two women looking at him in slight surprise, "At least not today. But you had better hold to your promises, Schnee. No." He sighed, walking past her, "Weiss. We'll meet again either way, but you'll decide how that meeting goes."

He dropped off the roof, and Weiss let out a nervous breath alongside Blake's, looking at the Faunus, "I can't believe that worked…"

"I can. He's reasonable when you give him reason to be. Just… stay up here for a few, until we're gone. He might change his mind if he sees you following us." She hesitated for a moment before sighing, "And… tell Yang I said I'm sorry for everything, okay? Ruby too."

"You could come back with us." Weiss offered weakly, sighing when Blake shook her head, "I'll tell them, I promise. Just… try and be safe, Blake."

Fifteen minutes later, Weiss stepped out of the alley and spotted Yang looking for her worriedly. The blonde noticed her and jogged over, throwing her arms around the smaller girl, "Where did you go? I was so worried, and I forgot my Scroll so I couldn't call you."

"It's… a long story, Yang. One I actually need a drink for." Yang's eyebrows went up and she shrugged, leading her towards one of the bars she frequented.

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Pyrrha smiled lightly, the small Corgi rolling around on the bed next to where she was lying on the bed with her knees pulled up to make room for Ruby, the small animal nuzzling her side affectionately. "His name is Zwei, and I figured you could use some… You know, cheering up?" Ruby said sweetly, sitting at the foot of the bed with her legs tucked under her chin, "He always helps me out when I'm said."

Zewei climbed onto her chest, nuzzling into her neck and laying there while the Mistralian stroked his fur, and she smiled, "He's so sweet. Where did you get him?"

"My, uh, dad got him for me and Yang when my mom… passed away. He's a therapy dog! So he's trained to help people who are sad." She smiled widely, watching the small tail flick back and forth excitedly, "He's a good boy too, he's always acting good and trying to be affectionate, and he never messes on the floor."

"I never had a dog." She said, lifting the squirming thing up in her arms and then hugging it to her chest, "I always wanted one, but I was always… Busy, I suppose, training and travelling to tournaments. My parents never allowed it."

"Well… You're welcome to play with Zwei all you want!" Ruby said brightly, petting him before hopping off the bed, "I'm going to head to the library to study, if you don't mind watching him?"

"Um, sure, Ruby." She watched the girl bounce from the room, and Zwei licked her hand affectionately. She scratched his ears absently, relaxing on the bed with the Corgi snuggling on top of her chest, "That's a good boy."

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	32. Last Preparations

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 _ **Official Supporters:**_

 **SleeplessShippings**

 **Shadie**

 **~To the third guy who Supports, please PM the P Inbox with your handle so I can add you here.~**

 _ **If you want your name on the lists of my stories and videos, head over to P a t. R e . o n and search for the Temple Walkers. Just let us know you're from Fanfiction, alright? There's a thousand of you, so a dollar a piece would really add up and help me a lot! Once I reach five hundred Supporters of any value over a dollar, I will make a concerted effort to put out a chapter of something once every three days at the very slowest.**_

 _ **Further, on Vid . Me, if you subscribe you to us as a group, you can support us there and help us with two dollars a month. We'll be starting the Long Dark soon as a main series at the request of a Supporter, and you all can request them - and Fanfictions too, of course - on our P Supporter page. Pm for details, if you wish to help.**_

 _ **I hope you enjoy the chapter and, as always, drop a Review, a follow, and subscribe to our other platforms for more, or become a Supporter to support us more directly. We'll be getting a house soon, so extra money can help a lot! Review responses at the bottom, by the way.**_

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He heard the door open, pulling away from Neo's soft lips - and ignoring the pout that came of it - and looked past where she was sitting in his lap at a blushing Mii, "What's up?" Neo glared at her and thought something nasty, and Jaune pinched her hip for it, "Be nice, she has a job to do, Neo."

"Um, mistress Cinder sent me to retrieve you for a meeting." She took a look at Neo, lacking her jacket and currently in his lap, "I can… tell her you were sleeping and are dressing, if you want?" " _She won't strike me too hard for that if she doesn't know about it… I hope."_

"No, it's fine, I'll head that way soon. Where is the meeting at?" He gave Neo's behind a pat to tell her to get up, and she did after a second of pouting. "I'm also going to have a word with Cinder about her hitting you, if you want me to."

"U-Um, no, master." She squeaked cutely, hands balling under her chin nervously, "Um, I wouldn't want you in trouble over me." " _And it might make her angry enough to do more than hit me if she finds out I complained."_ "I-It's fine, really, I've had worse in Atlas than a simple slap on the cheek."

" _True."_ He frowned and looked at Neo, who shrugged when she saw him look at her and raise an eyebrow, " _Did you think the White Fang were willing to kill people just because? They get some shit a lot of the time for just being around."_

"Whatever might be true, Mii, you are safe in here at least." He felt her relax as he stood, stretching and walking across the room towards his helmet. He slid it on before asking, "When you were there, who all was present?"

"Um… Mistress Salem, Mistress Cinder, Master Tyrion, Master Hazel and Master Watts." She paused for a few seconds, chewing her lip and turning back and forth anxiously, "Um, there were also two younger people I didn't know. A green haired woman and a silver haired man who smelled of... oil and smoke."

"Oil and smoke?" He asked in surprise, looking at her horns for a second before returning his eyes to her face, "I never smelled that on him… Could it be your being a Faunus lets you smell it easier?" She flinched at the mention - hans clenching under her chin and stepping back anxiously like she normally did - and he held up his hands, waving nervously to calm her down before she started to panic, "I'm just asking, I'm not upset or anything."

"Y-Yes, master." He sighed at the name and she flinched again, at his reaction he was sure. She was utterly terrified of him, probably based on Cinder's threats. "I-I'm sorry, mistress CInder told me she'd feed me to a Grimm if I didn't use the term."

Definitely based on her threats then, Jaune thought quickly, "It's fine, Mii, really." Seeking a change of subject, he tapped his foot for a second before asking, "Why are you always the one that comes to speak to me? I've, you know, seen the other two cleaning and delivering food and stuff, but you're the only one that talks to me and… Summons me?"

"The, uh, well we…" She swallowed nervously, rubbing her hands together in front of her for long seconds, "We kind of, maybe, drew straws to see who would have to deal with you, um, directly? Master."

"I'm almost afraid to ask why." He said quietly, rubbing his fingers on his helmet where the bridge of his nose would be. Mostly a habit now, it didn't really _help_ anything, but he felt better for it. He looked to his side, sighing when he saw Neo holding her sides and shaking with silent laughter, "Not funny, babe, not funny."

She raised her eyebrows and cocked a hip to the side, resting a fist on it, as if to say, " _So I'm 'babe' now?"_

"U-Um, Mii, you can go. I'll get dressed and head that way." She nodded rapidly, hair bouncing around her horns gently with the movement, and walked from the room rather quickly. Feeling Neo poke his back, he sighed, and turned to look down at her.

She reached up on tiptoes to remove his helmet, and he almost laughed at the cute gesture. Wisely, though, he refrained. " _You're giving me pet names already, huh?"_

"Y-Yeah." He said weakly, rubbing the back of his neck and smiling nervously. He wasn't sensing outright hostility from her, but Neo was known to bounce from emotion to emotion at a whim. And her emotions didn't _always_ have the effects on her actions that would make sense. "Just, sort of, you know… Popped out of my mouth? I wasn't thinking about it, I was distracted."

" _I didn't say it bothered me."_ She 'said' quickly, leaning up to kiss him gently. " _Never had someone call me that. Well, had one guy do it at a club, but he was my target and didn't last long. So never had one do it that I was okay with."_ He started to wrap his arms around her shoulder but she pulled back before he could, " _Just ask before you use them in other people's company. I don't want people thinking I'm just some cute girl, I'm kind of your bodyguard now."_

"When did that become official?" He asked jokingly, turning away from her and taking a seat to do his shoes.

" _When we came here."_ She returned quickly, rolling her umbrella in between her hands boredly, " _It's about as official as anything else, Jaune. It's dangerous here, after all. Someone has to protect your cute ass."_

"I thought I was supposed to protect yours?" He said cheekily, looking at her and smiling. She rolled her eyes and he stood, sighing lightly, "You can just hang out here if you want to. I'm sure this is just another meeting about stuff I'm not too involved in, we've gone to a _lot_ of those."

" _Are you sure?"_ She asked quickly, crossing her arms and raising an eyebrow, her eyes flashing to pink and brown. " _Because if you tell me I get to be lazy and eat ice cream while I watch a movie, I'm gonna do it."_

"Sure, I don't mind. As much as they've put in, I should be safe here unless I piss Salem herself off. And in that case, not much we could do, really." She raised both her eyebrows at him and he waved his hands in front of himself, "That's not a knock on you! It's... as good as you are, we can't handle all her associates _and_ her Grimm army _and_ Salem herself. It's unreasonable to expect to by ourselves."

She tsked, jerking her head to the side and pouting, " _Damn it, I can't be mad when you're right."_

"Yeah, so… Just hang out if you want?" She nodded, walking off to the side towards the fridge, and he sighed. Women were complicated, especially if they could kill you. He turned, heading towards the door with his helmet in his hands, "See you in a bit then."

" _Hurry back so we can get back to what we were doing and I'll give you something special."_ He almost, _almost_ , stopped to ask but continued anyways, sliding the helmet on and stepping out the door into the cool evening air.

He was more than thankful that his helmet hid his blush, she'd have teased him to no end for it.

The walk to the grand hall was always a quiet one, if a bit chilly given their location, though Jaune could have done without the Grimm wandering around. They all gave him a wide enough berth, acknowledging him with quiet rumbles before moving past. It only took about ten minutes to get to the large doors leading into the Hall, and he pushed it open without much hesitation.

Inside, everyone was already in their own seats, Cinder's goons standing behind her slightly, and Salem smiled when she sa him, "Ah, Jaune. I am glad you have arrived, finally. We were beginning to worry, and Tyrian had volunteered to run a search party for you."

He was almost sure that she was joking, but nodded and spoke quietly anyways, "Sorry, my Queen, I had to get dressed before I could come. I apologize for the wait."

"It's quite alright, you weren't informed ahead of time for this meeting." She gestured at his chair and he took the permission to sit down, easing into the chair self-consciously, "To be quite honest, Jaune, we weren't going to bother you today. However, doctor Watts here has some… concerns he would like you to address."

"Um, what kinds of concerns?" He asked her.

She didn't answer, instead looking at the smart man sitting closer to Jaune than herself and gesturing for him to speak. He sighed and, after a moment, spoke, "First among them is that you're far too… nice, Jaune. There is simply no way you would help us willingly, and I worry that you'll simply try to run away at the first chance." He shrugged lightly, "Frankly, I don't feel like having to chase you down if you do such a foolish thing."

"There's also the concern of your servants." He continued before Jaune could argue, "To be blunt, you don't take advantage of them like a normal teenager would be tempted to. You don't sleep with them, even though they're all quite attractive and were chosen for that purpose. Dust, you don't even let them clean your room for you and tend to you like a teenager would do. You do it yourself. That leads into my previous concern more fully."

Jaune was quiet for a long moment before sighing, "There's… Not much I can say to make you feel better, Doctor." The man raised an eyebrow at him and he continued, "I, uh, well… I don't _want_ to sleep with them, for one. Just not interested in forcing myself on someone, it's not fun for me. That's also why I do my own cleaning, mostly, it's just… how I am."

"You're right. That doesn't help." He said shortly, crossing his arms and looking at Salem, "The decision on what to do is-"

"I wasn't finished." Jaune said hotly, the man turning to look at him in surprise. Surprise he could see on everyone's face except Salem's own, who looked rather happy actually, smiling thinly. "Respectfully, Watts, I'd appreciate you shutting up until I'm finished before threatening me and my friends. And at _least_ do it to my face."

After a second's silence, Jaune continued, turning to address Salem directly, "You knew what kind of person I was before you brought me here, don't expect any different. I'll do as you demand and ask because of our agreement. As long as you intend to keep it, I will keep my word." He leaned forward slightly, "But please, my Queen, stop questioning my integrity. I've done nothing to earn that kind of treatment, and obeyed at every demand you've made so far."

After a long minute, long enough for Jaune to realize what he'd said and to whom, he began to grow nervous. Until Cinder spoke, "Mistress, I told you he was ready. Has this test satisfied you?"

"Test…?" He said quietly, leaning back and mouth open slightly in surprise.

"Yes, a test." Salem returned brightly. Smiling widely, she relaxed into her seat and folded her hands on the table, "I have a mission that needs to be undergone, and asked Cinder to see to it. She suggested I put _you_ in charge, and send her along as support instead. In Vale."

"I was worried you'd run to your friends as soon as you got there." Watts said simply, chuckling quietly, "I expected you'd get defensive, but I must admit that I figured you would require a bit more goading before addressing her Highness so directly."

"So, you will be heading to Vale and, with Cinder's assistance, you will accomplish two objectives. First, capture or kill the Fall Maiden. If you feel the need to, you can bring her here to me and I will attempt to forcibly remove the power from her." She raised a hand over her shoulder, a large sphere Grimm floating towards her. It was a lot like the smaller ones that floated around that were used, Cinder had told him, for communication, except that this one's 'orb' part was clear, and several tentacles hung inside. "Killing her would be quicker and preferable, of course. This procedure of mine has been attempted twice and never worked, and seems to be excruciating."

"H-How do you know, highness?" He asked hesitantly, watching the creature hover apprehensively.

"Well, the two women did scream quite a bit until their brains hemorrhaged and they died." She smiled in an innocent way that, on her warped and strangely beautiful face, felt all the more sinister, "So I am quite sure they died, Jaune. You may make whatever choice you desire, but either bring me the Maiden or kill her. Cinder will inherit the power from her after that either way."

"O-Okay, I'll do my best." He swallowed anxiously, all his earlier confidence and even earlier good mood gone at the prospect of actual having to _kill_ someone. "What's the other thing you want us to do?"

"You two will engineer the destruction of Beacon Academy, and all it has." She said simply, smiling primly at him. "And while doing so, capture your friends, and bring them under my protection."

"A-And if they refuse?"

"Then leave them. They will fight and die and have made their own choice." She smiled even wider, "And should you fail, or refuse, then you will choose one of those girl's heads to go into my creature. And you'll watch."

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Pyrrha stood, armored and with her weapons on her back, looking dead ahead at Ozpin, her team - or its remnants at the least - flanking her. "You called on us, sir?"

Ozpin looked to the side, drumming his fingers idly while he looked at the setting sun casting shadows across the land and his beloved Academy, "Yes, I did." He took in a heavy breath before letting it out and looking at them, "Several weeks ago, Miss Goodwitch was allegedly attacked and wounded by a member of the student body here. I trust you remember?"

"Of course, sir." Nora said quietly, Ren nodding slightly on Pyrrha's other side, "Why?"

"Blake did not attack anyone at all, much less manage to wound the third most powerful person in Vale." The two of them exploded into questions, and Ozpin held up a hand, waiting for them to fall silent before beginning to speak, "Her 'attack' was part of a gambit to rescue Jaune and combat the White Fang. She would report to me when ready and with Miss Nikos' assistance as well as the Atlesian fleet, we would have attacked their base. The objectives were to rescue Jaune and Blake, as well as crippling White Fang operations in the area."

"I'm guessing it didn't succeed." Ren stated simply after a long, tense minute of silence.

"Quite." Ozpin said with a small, sad smile, "Jaune was moved after Blake's 'rescue' from an Atlesian base, and I don't know to where. My agents and allies in the other Kingdoms haven't found a hint of him, not that I expected them to. My opponents are great at hiding themselves when they desire to, I'm afraid."

"Now, however, Blake has managed to get word to me of her location. James is preparing a strike team, I have a team of Huntsmen who will join them." He gestured at Pyrrha, smile vanishing into a cold, hard face as his eyes bored into hers, "And I need Pyrrha's aid in the battle, to make a point."

"And a target on her back, right?" Nora asked quietly, the man's old eyes sliding closed at the quiet fury in the Valkyrie's own.

"Yes." He said, sighing when she threw her arms in the air in anger and spun, slamming her foot into his other chair hard enough to shatter it against the far wall. "Miss Valkyrie, I assure you of Miss Nikos' safety."

"Oh really?" Ren asked, Pyrrha and Ozpin alike turning when he stepped forward angrily, "I doubt that is possible, _Headmaster_."

"Nothing will harm hide nor hair on her before first killing me." He said simply, standing opposite of them and looking at him levelly. "We will paint a target on her, and lure our enemy close. Then we will crush them in our trap and use the chance to take Jaune back. And to the ends of her safety and his, I will give my own life if needed." Turning to look at Pyrrha, "I told you your power would be put to saving Jaune and Remnant alike. Do you believe yet that I meant what I said?"

"I do." She said quietly, hand dropping to her blade's hilt on her waist where it was holstered now. "For Jaune, I will trust you. When do we depart for the attack?"

"Tomorrow morning, before classes begin." Ozpin said, smiling thinly but pleasantly at her and turning to Ren, "Will you join us?"

"Of course." He said simply, looking to Nora. She nodded seriously, and Ren sighed quietly, "We'll both fight for our team, no matter what it takes to protect it. We've both lost too much before now, we won't let this join it."

"I wouldn't call you students of Beacon if you did." Ozpin said, smiling and striding to his window to stare out at the fading light, "Go, rest. An Atlesian soldier will be by to collect you early in the morning. And we all will go forth and save at least one of our friends and allies."

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"I can't believe I let a Schnee go…" Adam said quietly, sitting in the stolen Bullhead as the Cat piloted them part of the way back so he could rest. Raising his sheathed blade, he grimaced, "I could have cut her pretty throat right then and there, and done the White Fang a service for it."

"Killing an innocent girl would do no one a service, least of all the Faunus." Blake argued back, sighing tiredly and anxiously. "I'm glad you didn't, if that matters, Adam. Weiss is a good person."

"For a Schnee."

"For a _person_ , Adam." She quipped back hotly, sighing and shaking her head, "Her family's sins aren't hers you know. You'd do well to be a bit more open minded, especially if you expect them to be for us. Humans, I mean."

She had a point, he had to concede, sighing and setting his sword aside. "Just get us home, Blake. I… need to think."

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 _ **Tonal Architect**_ **:**

 **True, but whenever chess is used for teaching purposes, it is rapidly replaced. It's an introduction, not the whole lesson. Kind of… like learning how to mix batter before learning how to bake cakes, or a principle of cooking. And, given all the chess metaphors already used in the show, I'm kind of stuck with them. Have to make the best of what I have as an FF writer, you know?**

 _ **Flametask**_ **:**

 **Lemme work on that then~**

 _ **Scott USA**_ **:**

 **Thanks~**

 _ **Cheese Puff**_ **:**

 **Probably because Neo is the most adorable thing on Earth, er, Remnant. Both? How about both.**

 _ **Talon Ibn La Ahad**_ **:**

 **Glad you're enjoying yourself, bro. Always happy to entertain my readers. And yeah, Neo's great for shipping.**

 _ **Vail Ryuketsu**_ **:**

 **Sure, that's what I'm doing~**

 _ **The Night Shinobi**_ **:**

 **Thanks! Kind of my flavor, or at least I try to make that the flavor, in my works. All of my original stuff has, or at least it will, the same flavors.**

 _ **NAJP Jackson**_ **:**

 **I understand the… issues, yes. But Ozpin isn't not doing anything, he literally devised an entire sequence of plans to get Blake where she could help Jaune, within a week of him being taken. I recognize the issues this presents, however, it's not Stockhom's Syndrome. Stockholm's Syndrome would develop towards Salem and Cinder, and he is still against her. His working with them is for a gain, he can't do anything to stop them, so he goes along to protect himself and others.**

 **This is the turning point, which is ironic, and I hope for your continued patronage and a chance. If you decide to cease reading, though I will be saddened, then I apologize for failing to meet your expectations and only hope my next story will do better. Thank you for all your support until now in any event.**

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 **Short as dicks episode, blame work, sorry. The next will take a hot minute but will be much,** _ **much**_ **better. Thanks~**


	33. Clashes

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 _ **I hope you enjoy the chapter and, as always, drop a Review, a follow, and subscribe to our other platforms for more, or become a Supporter to support us more directly. We'll be getting a house soon, so extra money can help a lot! Review responses at the bottom, by the way.**_

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 _ **XXX The Delay in getting this chapter is due to my work schedule. I am looking for work elsewhere. If fifty of my fifteen thousand sign up on P Reon, I won't have to and can get back to weekly or better releases XXX**_

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Jaune stood outside the grand hall's closed doors, honestly more nervous than afraid while he waited for Cinder to come out and begin their trip. He didn't have to wait long, as it turned out, before the doors swung open and the mildly surprised woman blinked at him before smiling in that eerie, sinister way. Like his existence was an amusement to her and little else, that he posed no threat to her in any way. The smile was friendly, but Jaune knew from past 'readings' - as he had started calling them last night, running through plans with an almost naked and mildly annoyed Neo on what to do about their current predicament - that she was friendly out of a sense of superiority.

Her kindness and friendliness was due to his weakness. The thought angered him surprisingly greatly. "Jaune, good morning. Are you ready to go?" She chuckled lightly, gesturing at his armored form, "Well, I suppose as much is obvious. Tell me, where is your pet? Is she not accompanying you?"

"My girlfriend," he held up a hand towards Cinder angrily, "is going to meet us at the airpad, she wanted to snag a quick shower before heading out this morning."

"Oh she's your girlfriend?" Cinder asked teasingly, though Jaune knew her well enough by now to understand that she was probing for information. Cinder did nothing without personal gain for herself. "Tell me, how do you think _Roman_ will react when he finds out about this?"

"Probably by trying to kill me until Neo calms him down and explains that she wanted it as much as I did." He shrugged his lightly armored shoulders when she raise an eyebrow at him, "We talked a good bit about this stuff last night, actually. 'Always consider what others will do and attempt to integrate it into your plans.'"

This time, her smile was different. Wider, and she looked away from him for a moment before it returned to her normal indifferent smirk, "I can't say I am displeased by how quickly you have begun using my lessons, Jaune." She started walking, stepping past him close enough to brush against his shoulder, "Come, we have to get moving. We've much to do before we're ready to strike at Ozpin."

"Is he the real target of all of this?" Jaune asked as they walked, following behind her and staring a hole into her head. Suspicion was another part of her training and what she'd spent the last few weeks drilling into him, as well as the idea that gathering information was something you should always do. She didn't answer immediately, so he continued, "The White Fang won't be enough to deal with Atlas' defences and Beacon's staff. Not to mention the visiting Huntsmen students, teachers and Beacon's own student body and security staff."

"And the Maiden, of course. As well as whatever Ozpin is maneuvering into place to block the attack he knows has to be coming." She said quietly, "He always expects a new Maiden to come under attack, so when I felt the old one die and the power go elsewhere, I knew our goal was even further from us."

"You… felt it?" He asked quietly, taking several long steps to walk along side her and turning to look at her from inside his helmet.

"Yes, Jaune. The power was split between the old Maiden and myself in my first attempt on her. I could sense her at Beacon as well, somewhere. Even from here I could feel her…" she held up a hand as they walked, a small and wild fire crackling in her palm, "It hurts. A dull ache, like a missing limb that aches distantly no matter what you do."

He understood, sort of, from how Amber herself had felt back at Beacon but felt his anger boil up as she talked. _She'd_ attacked Amber, but she thought she could complain about anything about it? "You won't get any sympathy from me, Cinder." He turned away as she looked at him, and he felt her glare, "Every waking moment in Beacon, I could feel what you did to her. The pain she was in every moment for weeks and weeks, I felt it."

The two were quiet for a long second before Cinder sighed, extinguishing her flame, "Yet you can forgive your whore for what she did?" She asked bitterly,shaking her head, "No matter. I don't need or want sympathy from you."

"She was acting on your orders. You don't get to pass the blame onto her for that either." He knew he was pushing her too far, but after every single thing she'd taken from him and everything she was responsible for forcing onto him, his frustrations were beginning to boil over. He missed having Pyrrha nearby, her calm and stable nature able to calm him when he needed it. "And unlike Neo, you aren't even apologetic for it. She at least feels bad."

"Her?" She laughed harshly, glaring into his helmet, "She doesn't feel anything unless she's cutting into someone."

"Is this where you tell the literal mind reader what people are thinking because you know it better than him?" Jaune asked roughly, laughing at her blatantly. "Neo has… problems, that's for certain, but she's willing to try and be a good person. She's never had a chance until now, and wants it. You though…"

"What about me?" She asked dangerously as they exited the building.

"You aren't like her." He said quietly, shaking his head almost sadly, "You had chances, plenty of them. I can feel it, when this helmet is off. Your _nature_ is warped and twisted at the core, deep down." He sighed and waved at Neo when she came outside, and she waved back, "Her problems are in her psyche, the way she is, but her nature is different. _She_ never had a chance to be shown a better way, even Roman couldn't give her that. You had it though, I can feel it she can't help the rush she gets, you _want_ it."

She rested a hand on his lower back, heat creeping out from it uncomfortably, "If I want you to judge someone, I'll tell you to." She smiled politely as they walked, trying to not betray anything to the small, dangerous woman they were approaching. "My mistress may have use for now, but should I push her for it, she will throw you aside when that use ends, Arc."

This time, he kept his mouth firmly shut, and she removed the hand as Neo bounced towards them, bright pink eyes shining excitedly. Smiling, Jaune rubbed her head affectionately, "That excited to see Roman, huh?"

She nodded, twirling her umbrella over her shoulder absently while she used her free hand to type on her Scroll. " _Yeah, it's been weeks since I saw him. I worry about him when I'm not around to protect him."_

Unsaid, of course, was that Roman could protect himself from the average day-to-day threats. Neo was there to protect him from Cinder and her 'friends'. Not being there to do that made her nervous, he'd felt that last night. Cinder said nothing, only continuing to walk after a few seconds, and he gestured with his head for them to follow. Neo of course obeyed quickly, falling into step behind him closely.

Unlike their first trip _to_ the Queen's castle, the trip from it was far better planned and supplied. Instead of a small, slow flying Bullhead-like ship, a large, white one sat on the open landing pad. The main body was shaped largely like a rectangle, bulky with long sides and round gun ports protruding from every side. The large wings reached at least thirty feet in each direction and rested near the back of the ship and had two engines each, large and square with smaller turrets on the wings just in front of them. At the front, the ship sloped smoothly at every plane into almost a spear tip, flat and wider horizontally with two short barrels protruding under the window the pilots used for flight, probably usable by the pilots themselves. At least two hundred feet long and eighty tall, it was almost a proper warship in and of itself.

"What kind of ship is this?" He asked quietly, turning to look at Cinder, "Where did it even come from?"

"It's an Atlesian light frigate, actually. Watts purchased half a dozen for us here at the castle." She gestured at the smaller turrets, "Automatic flak turrets that just require a switch to activate, as well as a larger, manned turret on each surface of the craft for larger targets. Other frigates, Nevermores, lesser Drakes and so on. More than enough room and tonnage for us to get where we need to be and accomplish our goals."

"This… you're going to attack Beacon with it, aren't you?" He asked quietly, turning to look at the still irritated woman.

"Yes. Bullheads, at least the smaller variants that only carry a few people, can launch from the back of the ship. We use the frigate to fight our way through whatever is left in the air, and deploy attackers straight into Beacon." She smiled that vicious smile she always had whenever she was thoroughly pleased by a plan, "The Atlesian and Valean fighters won't even think to shoot at us in Beacon until we're on top of them."

"Your Queen piece?" He asked quietly, Cider rolling her eyes at the question.

"I have a dozen Queen pieces, if you insist on the analogy, Jaune. But yes, this is definitely going to be one." She continued towards a small ramp extended near the pilot's area, Emerald sitting on the stairs and toying with her blades idly. She stood up when they approached, smiling slightly in spite of herself, "Emerald. Is Mercury in the pilot's cabin?"

"Yes, ma'am. He's running the systems check for us now, we should make the rendezvous without any problems, and on time if the weather permits." She smiled when Cinder looked pleased, stepping to the side, "I took the liberty of preparing one of the officer's rooms for you too, ma'am."

Cinder actually smiled, stepping onto the first step and stroking the girl's cheek affectionately, "That's very sweet of you, Emerald. Thank you. I assume you mean the one at the back of the pilot's cabin?"

"Yes, ma'am. The stairs here lead to the fourth floor, just behind the cabin. Your room is just inside and to the left, across from our own. Mercury will take the first flight shift, so if you need anything, just knock, ma'am." Cinder nodded, and Emerald - still blushing and beaming from Cinder's praise previously - turned to them, "Yours is next to ours, straight out from the door at the top."

"Excellent." Cinder said quickly, "I trust the droids are already running as well? We'll need them to reach our crew after all."

"Of course, ma'am." Emerald said, nodding eagerly, "Everything is prepared exactly as you specified, ma'am."

Cinder hummed in response and began to climb the steps, Emerald close behind. Jaune made to follow her, but Neo grabbed his hand and, winking, made sure to go before him. He rolled his eyes at her antics and made to follow.

Inside, the ship was pristine, clean and lit with bright fluorescent lights lining the walls in the corners, indented slightly into the dull grey material. Vents, computer terminals and other assorted workstations. He rooms for what he guess would be officers and pilots were nestled against the pilot's cabin, with a small cantina at the end of the hall for breaks and rest. Several old mode Knights walked up and down the hall, probably the drones that Emerald had mentioned.

"It should take a few hours for us to reach the rendezvous, Jaune." Cinder said lowly, clearly aggravated still, "Rest up and relax until then, but keep your helmet on for at least an hour of the trip. I wouldn't want you to go into shock again."

He somehow didn't believe that…

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"Straighten your arms, let your shoulders absorb more of the force." Blake instructed, adjusting the rifle's stock against the recruit's shoulder, "The rifle is designed to fit against your shoulder for a reason, recruit. Let the design do its job until you can adjust with some familiarity. If Atlas is good at _anything,_ then it's making weapons."

The small warehouse structure in Mountain Glenn's abandoned interior echoed with muted Atlesian rifles firing, a sound that would have normally had Adam running to investigate. Instead, he sat on a large stack of crates, watching Blake teach the new recruits how to use their rifles at least adequately. They'd recovered the weapons from the same base as the one Blake had been imprisoned at and, as soon as word spread among the new recruits arriving that she was here, they'd practically demanded that she teach them something.

She didn't use rifles all that much, but she was a pretty good shot nonetheless. Banesaw lumbered up, leaning against the crates near enough to him with his arms crossed over his chest, and Adam turned towards him slightly. "Yes?"

"The new recruits are almost fanatical about Belladonna. It's… odd." He said simply, the two watching the numerous Faunus almost fawn over her. "They're listening intently and learning, at least, but still. It seems strange, for Belladonna."

"She was always popular with the new recruits." Some days it was because she was attractive, others because he accorded her respect so everyone else had, or they knew a member who went on a mission with her. "It's not that odd now, it wasn't back then."

"Back then, she tended to avoid them." He pointed out in that same rumbling, almost monotone voice.

"True." Adam said quietly, though the larger man grunted so he knew he'd been heard. Blake _had_ always avoided the fanatics and fans, preferring instead to be left alone to read and write. "Perhaps her time in Beacon brought some change to her."

"That was the worry." He said quietly, Banesaw appraising his leader closely for a moment before continuing. "Sir, she left us once. Betrayed you, preventing the success of a raid and leaving you stranded in the middle of the Grimm infested forest."

"Yes." He said quietly, sighing and scratching his chin idly. It had been a nuisance, yes, and he'd been furious as well. But she'd had a momentary lapse and come back, with zeal as well if half the reports and rumors coming out of Beacon were true. Plus some… interesting contacts, "I trust her however, Banesaw. She has changed, and has some new… friends I don't completely approve of, but she deserves a chance. She helped build this cell of the White Fang after all."

"The Schnee, you mean?" He asked lowly, voice rumbling in agitation. Adam turned to him fully and he shrugged, "I have loyal agents following you whenever you head into Vale, in case you are spotted and recognized by the authorities or worse, Atlas."

"Yes." Adam admitted finally after several seconds before turning back to the training, watching Blake correct another rookie's footing. "We… had a conversation, actually. Said that she wanted to help the Faunus."

"I've seen a Schnee's help before." Banesaw grunted, shaking his head lightly.

"She meant it though. Her company used to be smaller, and was lead by a Huntsmen, apparently. The Faunus still took the risks they do now, but they did so alongside Humans. And in Grimm infested areas, with the CEO's direct protection." Banesaw huffed, clearly not accepting it, and Adam added, "I verified the information independently when we returned. She, as the Heiress, can change things."

"She could, but why would she?" He asked disbelievingly, tensely.

Adam understood, had he not seen the Schnee herself and spoken to her,he'd have difficulty accepting it. But when it was clear to him she expected to die regardless of what she said? Then he believed her. Someone who knows they will die in the end, even if that is a lie, won't lie about opinions or things that could be verified easily. The Schnee, Weiss, had shared both her opinions and verifiable facts readily, even though she expected to end in that alley behind them.

"She thought I'd kill her anyways. People don't lie about random, unrelated opinions on death row." He rested his hand on his sword's handle, "They beg if they aren't asked questions, and lie if they don't know the answers, usually. _If_ she'd been lying, she;d have either begged to be allowed to live, or lied and said she supported the Fang in some manner."

"Then what did she do?" He asked quietly, " My guards couldn't overhear you. When they reported that you'd let her go, I ordered them to respect it, but that's all."

"She said that, when she inherits the company, she wants to make a change and help the Faunus." He turned to look down on the larger man from his seat atop the crates, smiling almost viciously. " _When she inherits_ can be changed, of course."

"Our next target?" Banesaw asked, excitement creeping into his voice slightly.

"First, we strike down Beacon with our new allies. Then, we renew our efforts at ending Jacques Schnee." He let his hand drift to his sword, gripping it tightly, "I can't be involved. If she knows it was me right away, she may turn against her promises out of grief."

"Understandable." He said, "I'll pass a message to Fennec then, and have him find out what he needs."

"Tell him to use an expendable asset, and to tell him that it's so the White Fang is known to have done it." Adam ordered lightly, "We'll turn them over to Weiss as an… inheritance gift, of sorts. Probably dead, to avoid questions."

"Of course." He straightened, nodding respectfully as Blake approached and the recruits dispersed idly, "I will do as you order."

He lumbered away as Blake climbed up next to him, accepting a bottle of water Adam offered, "You were talking to Banesaw?"

"Business?" She asked quietly, taking a sip as she always had before the train. He grunted and nodded, and she asked, "Can I ask what the business _is_ or would that be too much so soon?"

"No." He said, sighing.

He hated that he had to keep larger operations a secret from her, but even she had accepted that it was smart. She had left once and only recently returned, so it made sense she'd have to earn trust back, regardless of the status of her return. Her introducing him to the Schnee girl was the reason he was alright with telling her what he would.

"Well?" She asked quietly, raising a thin eyebrow at him slightly.

"All I can tell you is that we intend to formally assist your… Schnee friend. And accept her offer, of course, in time." She smiled warmly and he smiled back in that small way he always did, glad to have that smile back.

It had nearly driven him mad to lose it, after all. Who knows what he would have done without her when Beacon fell?

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Raven turned at the last second, allowing her traitorous opponents axe to glide past her and driving her own sword through his unprotected, and luckily Aura-less now after their long battle, bare back. She smiled in satisfaction when she saw her sword tip above his shoulder, protruding from the man as his arms drooped to the sides and his life-blood flowed down her sword. Pushing him away and stepping back at the same time, she flicked the weapon lightly and sent the blood streaking along the ground as the corpse fell.

"Are there any others who wish to challenge me?" None answered, of course, this had been her tenth opponent. Normal among the tribe for newcomers and recruits to challenge her and others, but still annoying. Her orders had caused a lot of this conflict as well, she knew. "Good, then gather our supplies and break camp. The Grimm will come soon."

She turned, heading for her tent as her tribe began breaking camp, and stopped when Spring stepped in front of her tent's entrance, "Raven."

"Spring." She said lowly, eyes narrowing at her. Raven had to accept any challenger, of course, but the Spring Maiden actually stood a chance against her. And she couldn't just kill the girl either, that would cause a lot of issues. "You didn't challenge me, but you're stopping me from entering my tent. Why?"

"You're taking us to Vale." She said shortly, stepping aside just enough to let Raven pass unopposed but tell the Chieftess that she'd be coming in as well. "To fight _Ozpin's_ battles."

"To fight everyone's." Raven corrected lightly, ducking into her tent and taking a breath as the warm incense hit her nose.

Many chieftains and chieftesses kept their tent lavishly decorated with the best spoils from raids and conquests. Immaculate furniture, statues, furst, whatever they liked. Raven preferred to live plained though, only really needing a couple trunks on the far end of the tent from the door, a large dresser, a stand for her equipment to hang on and a large bed with simple covers, and a couch at the foot. Better than what many in the tribe had, but not so lavish as to annoy her underlings as others did.

She dropped onto the couch,crossing her legs comfortably and letting out a breath, "The fight coming in Vale will decide much of the world's fate. If it falls, Vale will be cripple along with Atlas." She sighed, "I hate it… But we're being paid, and the fight has to happen."

"And if Ozpin tries to take me?" She asked quietly, clearly nervous. And for good reason as well, even Raven would be strained against Ozpin, with or without Spring's help.

"We'll fight and run." Raven said simply, "But if we don't break our enemy here and now, then someone with far worse intentions for you will come after us eventually. And we'll be without the Atlesian fleet or the Valean Huntsmen and army, against an even more powerful opponent."

"Fine." She said after a long second, "I'll make sure everyone gets their things ready. Same time frame as usual?" Raven nodded, and Spring inclined her head respectfully, "Then I'll make sure it's done."

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"I'm fine, Yang." Weiss said for the thirtieth time while she watched her preparing Ember Celica, even if she was still shaken up. "Blake only wanted us to talk, and they let me go right after."

"I don't give a damn." She snapped, slamming her locker closed and sliding one of the armored gloves onto her off hand. "She put a gun to your back and took you to meet terrorists."

"Only one terrorist," Weiss argued weakly sighing and sitting on a bench while she changed out of her uniform into her combat outfit. "I'm fine, Yang."

"No, you're not. And even if you are, I'd still be pissed." Red eyes met her own and she slammed a fist into a locker, "And _you_ didn't even tell me right away! I can't even see straight when I think about that."

"Yang, what are you even going to do if you find him?" She asked, sighing, "Which you won't. It was a day ago, I doubt they're even in Vale anymore. "

"I'm going to cave his head in and drag Blake back to Beacon, of course." She snapped back, slamming her boot onto the bench beside the heiress and starting to lace it up. "And I'll find them. I know a guy who should know, he knows just about everything that happens in Vale. And _everything_ in the actual Kingdom part of it."

"This is the White Fang, Yang." Weiss argued quietly, looking her in the eyes in spite of their frightening redness. "And if you just _behave_ then maybe I have a chance at actually stopping them for good."

"You believe what he said?" Yang asked incredulously, leaning back and standing tall above her, with her leg still on the bench. Kind of intimidating, being so close to her powerful muscles reminded Weiss of how easily she could crush her.

"Maybe, maybe not. I believe Blake though, and he would have k-" She choked, swallowing nervously and adjusting her blouse absently. "He would have killed me if he wasn't serious. I'm a Schnee, and he was White Fang, killing me would have been easy to justify to anyone. Even Blake would have probably understood it, even if she were upset by it. But he let me go."

"Yeah, how swell of him, _not_ murdering you must have been very hard on him." Yang said derisively, stepping back and checking her Ember Celica before flicking her wrists torm them and then disarming them experimentally. "Now if you'll excuse me-"

"I won't." She said, grabbing her shoulder as she tried to walk away. Yang turned, part n instinct and part out of anger, and grabbed her by the throat, pinning her to a locker. There was no force to the hold, so she continued, though she gripped the blonde's forearm warily. "Yang, if you attack them for me, then they'll just come after me. They'll assume that I lied and sent you. And then they'll come after me for it."

Yang was quiet for a long second before gently setting her down, "Damn it."

"It's okay, Yang." Weiss said, rubbing her throat gently. "I'm fine, nothing happened just let it go."

She collapsed onto the bench, holding her head in her arms, and Weiss said next to her. "Sorry I grabbed you, Weiss-cream." She sighed, "Just… got angry and snapped. You're right, though."

"I know." She said, awkwardly patting the larger woman's back in a weak attempt at comforting her, She was _very_ bad with people, especially in situations like this, and she hated it.

Yang wrapped an arm around her, pulling her against her chest in a hug and taking a deep breath over the Schnee's head, "I just feel bad that you got grabbed while you were with me. Like, you could be dead right now, because I wasn't paying attention."

"It wasm't mour mault." Weiss said, muffled while she weakly pushed at her stomach. "Mang, I meed mair."

"Hm? Weiss? What was that?" She asked, resting her chin on her head and smiling mischievously. "You sound kinda weird."

"I'm im mour mreasts, and I man's mreathe!" She said quickly, pushing harder, "Met me mo!"

"If you couldn't breathe you wouldn't be talking~" She teased lightly.

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"My fleet is almost ready, and the frigates are being escorted to the meeting point to pick up Raven's…" James trailed off before sighing, still angry at Ozpin clearly, " _Forces._ "

"I know you are displeased by the need to utilize petty bandits and the like to fight Salem's forces, but I am glad to see you accept it." Ozpin smiled politely, and James huffed. "If it helps, they'll be weakened after this, so their raids will likely abate for a while. Not to mention that they won't _need_ to raid with the supplies we give them for their services."

"You must have some other motive for using them." James asked as much as asserted at the same, looking at Ozpin sternly through the screen. "Or I should hope so, at least."

"I believe Spring may be among them." He admitted, raising a finger to ask for a moment when James looked like he'd explode. "I don't want any actions taken against Raven to get her back. I will attempt to convince Raven to hand her over, but she's at least protected with the Branwen Tribe."

"And the head of that particular snake can teleport her away in the case of a failure,I suppose." James agreed after a second, "Very well, I'll monitor and let you know if I see her, but I won't act against her directly."

"Thank you, James." He said, meaning it completely. "Your cooperation in spite of my story is welcome and appreciated immensely."

"We're not discussing that." He said shortly, Ozpin sighing and holding his hands out as though in surrender. "Do you need anything else?"

"No, thank you." James grunted again and ended the call,and Ozpin reclined in the chair, accepting an offered mug from Glynda as she passed. "James is still angry with me, it seems."

"Yes, he was quite...upset last night." Glynda agreed, sitting down across from him quick enough Ozpin almost felt some sympathy for her, "I am working on it, however. I just need time, and he'll come around."

Ozpin hummed in response, looking up at her after a second of staring at his mug, "Is Miss Nikos ready for what is coming? And her team mates, of course."

"Her training is coming along exquisitely, sir. And her team mates are prepared enough for a supporting role in the combat, yes." She sighed, shaking her head weakly,"I won't say I think they're ready, I don't, But I do think they'll at the very least stay alive through it, yes. I must insist you protect them though, or I will."

"If I fight beside them then I will attract far more attention to them." He shrugged after a second and sighed, "Of course, the moment Miss Nikos unleashes her Maiden abilities, our opponents will know she's there and move towards her,"

"Assuming they don't have some way of telling, of course." Glynda offered quietly.

"Indeed. So perhaps staying nearby is best, until she begins fighting in earnest." He said, nodding lightly, "Very well, make sure our plans are concrete then. Want our security prepared as well as our staff."

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 _Vanitas :_

 **Funny you should mention that to me~**

 _Haeas :_

 **Thanks for the correction, I'll try and get an update up to fix it if I have the time at some point. I don't have the original file anymore though, so I'll have to retype it. May take a minute, but meh. Is fine.**

 _Captain Toast :_

 **This is addressed in a line later on. She watches all the Academies' Initiations for threats, moves from Ozpin and company, and potential recruits. Essentially, she wanted to know why some random schmuck in Vale could intuit** _ **her**_ **intentions through the Grimm present who were actually appraising Pyrrha.**

 _Blaseing Fire :_

 **Yup. Well, a rock, a hard place, and Neo's behind, but you understand the point. XD**

 _The Impossible Muffin :_

 **Nah, she's fiiiiiine, and it's not like Jaune has not only moved on to another girl but also the one who cut her up or anything….**


	34. The Eve of Battle

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Jaune sat up on the bed when he felt the ship shudder slightly, Neo tossing a ball against a wall turning to look at him, " _It's a docking reaction, we're fine."_

"A docking reaction?" He asked quietly, rolling over and hopping off the bed. "The whole ship shook, are you sure it was just a normal thing?"

" _You've never been on a military airship like this one, Jaune."_ She said hopping up when he did and watching him lace up his boots. " _Frigates like this one are only meant to support larger ships in combat. Some dock for travel, others have to dock with fuel ships in flight to refuel."_

"You… know a lot about military ships." He observed, raising an eyebrow at her. She mirrored the action and he smiled, "Like, a surprising amount."

" _Cinder told me to learn about the Atlesian Navy's naval doctrines in preparation for her plan's final stages."_ She shrugged lightly, stretching her arms over her head in a way that drew Jaune's eyes, which amused her the way she'd wanted he could sense. He opened his mouth and she added, " _She didn't tell me why or what it was for, no."_

"She never seems to, I'm noticing. She always keeps things to herself whenever she can, and it is _kind of_ aggravating." Neo hopped onto the bed, crawling on all fours towards him for affection, and he sighed. "Can't, Neo. Cinder is coming with… someone I don't know yet. I can sense it."

" _Of fucking course she is… She always messes up my fun. I hate that bitch so much I can literally feel it."_ Neo pouted, laying her head in his lap instead while he played with her hair idly and smiled.

"I know you do." He tapped his head indicatively, the girl curling up beside him languidly while he toyed with her hair. "I can feel it too, you know. Big part of the whole 'mind reading' thing I have, annoying as it can be."

" _I love your Semblance."_ She said back, turning her head to smile up at him. " _It's great in bed, you always know what I want you to do."_ She sent another thought at him, turning her rear towards him more fully as she did, and raised an eyebrow at him.

The door opened with a muted hiss and thud as it retracted away, and Cinder cocked her hip at him as his hand slid down her back almost on its own, fingers touching the edge of her pants before he caught himself.

"Am I interrupting something?" It was said as a joke, or what passed from her as one, he knew she wouldn't care. "I hate to drag you away, of course, but we have to discuss our plans for tomorrow." " _If we don't, people under us could die. Valuable assets wasted."_ "You can come back to your whore later, when we're finished."

She snarled at her from his lap, and Jaune spoke for her, "Girlfriend, Cinder. Girlfriend. Not whore, I really wish you'd stop insulting her for no reason." She sat up next to him, pouting heavily. She was a needy girlfriend, that was certain. Cinder opened his mouth, but Jaune spoke over her, "I know you _have_ a reason, but I mean a good one. And no, 'not liking her' isn't a good reason as far as I'm concerned."

"Unfortunate that I think it is, then." She said simply, shrugging as though it didn't bother her in the slightest either way. Which it didn't, to be fair, but Jaune didn't really consider that a positive thing. "Now get up, we've a meeting to attend." " _And if you want any say in what we do, you'd best be in attendance."_

"Fine, fine." He grunted, standing up and picking Crocea Mors off the table beside the bed, the only two pieces of furniture in the spartan room aside from a large dresser officers probably used to store their uniforms. Sliding the belt into the loops of his pants, he talked to Cinder, "How much do the others at the meeting know about me?"

"About you? Only that you're a powerful ally, loyal to our mistress, who is here to ensure that everything goes smoothly and to prevent traitors arising in our ranks." She smiled cockily at him, "I handled what they were told, and when. Your first duty, I may as well tell you now, is to suss out any threats to our integrity in the people boarding this ship. If anyone fails to test as loyal, Neo is here. She will serve as your right hand, an executioner as well as your bodyguard." " _Whore or not, she's potent enough for both these roles."_

"I don't like you volunteering her for your dirty jobs, Cinder." He groused, the girl mirroring his thoughts. Cinder raised an eyebrow, and he spoke again, "She'll do what you ask, if I determine it's needed, but next time just ask first. Okay?"

"Very well." She said, aggravation rolling off of her for a moment before she sighed. "Just come along when you're ready, Jaune." " _Don't make me come and get you, I will be very displeased if that happens."_ "And remember, you're making an impression on these people, so be punctual and be intimidating." " _As intimidating as you can_ be _at least…"_

"I'll try my best." He said honestly, the older woman rolling her eyes and leaving the room. He was quiet for a long second before he sighed, "Why do I feel like she's going to try and kill me at some point?"

" _Because you're a loose end and a rogue element, not under her control, authority or even influence outside Salem's palace."_ Neo offered quickly, pulling him back into a sitting position on the bed and crawling into his lap to straddle him and snuggle her face into the crook of his neck. Not a sexual position for them, Neo simply liked being held and coddled like this. " _At the castle or palace or… whatever the hell I should call it, she trains you. Influences you and how you think like a teacher can, and in a way where you can't tell."_

"Because I can't read her mind." He added, wrapping his arms around her and holding her the way he knew she wanted. "Makes sense, from what I've sensed of her already. She likes control, and power, and she has no control or power over me."

" _She could kill you if she wanted."_

"No she can't." He argued, shaking his head lightly, "She needs Salem's order to do that, and unless I do something to earn her anger then Cinder won't get that."

Neo nodded, her chin brushing along his neck, and he sighed contentedly. Glad to just sit right now, his arms wrapped around her and her legs wrapped around him. Their meeting was a rough one, even she acknowledged that, but he saw something good in her. Deep down, where no one could look. He just hoped his friends would agree, or at least accept, that reason when he offered it to them.

Sensing her reluctance, she pulled away from him slightly, " _You should probably get going now, Jaune. You don't want to be late if this is as important if Cider is implying."_ He nodded and she tilted her head to the side cutely, " _Want me to come with you? She didn't say I couldn't, and I am kind of your bodyguard, even if you do screw me pretty often."_

"You probably should, at least to make an appearance as my terrifying bodyguard, whether I spread your legs or not." He leaned in to nip her ear playfully and she giggled mutely, smiling at him with twinkling mismatched eyes. "Do you want to, or would you prefer to just hang out here?"

" _I'll do whatever you tell me to,Jaune~"_ She teased, pressing her chest against him gently and squeezing her legs around his waist. He almost blushed, but managed to choke it down at the last second, and she pouted. " _That used to work on you."_

"Yeah, and then I spent several nights bending you over things." Jaune countered, running one of his hands up her back to hold her against him with his forearm while his hand gripped the back of her neck possessively so he could lean in to steal a, for them at least, chaste kiss.

He lifted her up and turned, laying her on the bed and pushing away gently, and she pouted, " _You can't tease a girl like that and just leave it, Jaune. It's very rude of you."_

As tempted as he was, and as much as he knew she wanted his attention, he simply shook his head and sighed, "Later, Neo. We'll have time to spend together tonight, maybe even just after the meeting."

" _Fine."_ She sighed, sitting up and stretching, " _Probably going to get a shower while you're out then. If you come back and I'm still in there-"_

"I'll join you." He finished for her, turning and heading for the door. "Later."

Outside his room, the halls were just as empty as before, aside from the droids going about their tasks soundlessly aside from their metal footfalls. It only then occurred to him that Cinder hadn't actually told him where to go, and he sighed. She always did that, neglecting to offer him information on where the damned meetings were being held, and it was honestly beginning to become infuriating rather than just annoying.

Closing his eyes, he reached out with his mind. First he felt the frustration and disappointment from Neo, which he felt as mad at Cinder for as he felt bad for himself. Then he felt something surprising to him nearby. A dull sort of intelligence, rudimentary to the extreme like the Grimm's had been except without that innate bloodlust he'd sensed. Like the Grimm, this felt directed and guided, like something was controlling him. He spent a few moments standing there until he'd narrowed down on one and pointed at it. When he opened his eyes, he blinked in surprise.

One of the drones. He could sense the drones, admittedly weakly and very probably only because it was the only thing around, nearby. Shaking his head, he closed his eyes again and extended his range, ignoring the minds he felt a few dozen yards in front of him. The other ship _probably_ wasn't where the meeting was, Cinder would want to keep to her own ship. She was prideful like that.

Finding about six minds, he focused on each in turn until he found Cinder's. Annoyed, angry, bored and somehow hungry all at once, he'd recognize her 'mental footprint' in a crowd of hundreds. Making his way there only took a few minutes, and several sets of stairs to descend. Once he reached the proper level on the ship, he just went towards where eh sensed her until he found the right room.

"Jaune, glad you made it." She said, smiling politely at him as he stepped into the room. The room looked like a conference room, long with a plain square table in the middle of the room. One chair rested at each end of the table with three on the longer sides, most of the latter seats occupied by the other people in the room, all in White Fang uniforms. "I see Neo didn't wish to come with you?" " _A shame. A bodyguard isn't worth much when she's too far away to guard the body."_

"My bodyguard seemed unnecessary among allies." He said simply, stepping in and allowing the door to close behind him. "I felt it better to keep her rested rather than waste her time in a meeting of all things. Neo becoming bored might be... Unhealthy for some people."

"Is that a _threat_ , kid?" The man on Cinder's right asked, crossing his arms and chuckling. "It's adorable that you think you can threaten me, kid." " _Still, if Cinder listens to him and gives him enough credit to treat him as her second…"_

Jaune chuckled quietly and took his seat at the head of the table, ignoring the man and addressing Cinder, "If you want, I can get her."

"No, it's fine." She dismissed easily, the man next to her visibly bristling - especially to Jaune's senses - at being ignored. "She'll need her energy soon, after all. Our plans are extensive" " _Don't push it too hard, Jaune, we need these people if we don't want our ship to fall from the sky. You're Human, if you disrespect them too much they'll assume you're a racist and refuse to work with us."_

"On to the first order of business then." The large man said, standing to address the room as a whole. "First, payment for the fuel and resources you need to continue to Mountain Glenn, as well as for the recruits and warriors that are needed there."

The first five hours of meeting, it turned out, weren't about any _plans_ at all. Instead, it was finances, organization, and other logistical concerns Jaune knew absolutely nothing about. After that, though, Cinder turned to the slight woman on her other side, "And our plans in Mountain Glenn? How are they faring?" _Hopefully Roman didn't take a vacation while I was away…"_ "I remember we were slightly behind schedule when I was forced to leave?"

"We're only as far behind as we were previously, ma'am. Your Human is doing a perfectly adequate job." " _Even if his racist insults aggravate everyone involved."_ "We should be able to enact the Breach relatively on schedule, if nothing bad should happen." The woman was small, and her voice quiet, but he sensed respect for her from everyone at the table except Cinder.

But Cinder didn't really _respect_ anyone, so that was normal.

He couldn't quite tell what kind of Faunus she was, but when he looked, he noticed that despite their climate here - warmer than normal, thanks to the warm winds sweeping between Anima and Vale's Kingdom along the coast - she wore sleeves that covered her arms and long pants. Her mask also covered her mouth, even though most White Fang masks didn't, instead only covering the eyes and nose for the most part, and hers also wrapped further around her head to actually cover her ears. Her dark hair covered the rest, but he could see a hint of cloth covering the lower part of her head and her neck as well.

Why on Remnant was she covered head to toe?

Ignoring it, he looked at Cinder, "What is 'the Breach', Cinder?"

She glared at him for a split second, displeased by the implied challenge in his voice, before schooling herself and speaking politely, "Our plan to weaken Ozpin's hold in Vale, and take defenders away from Beacon and instead into Vale proper. More important, however, are our plans for tomorrow."

"Which are?" He asked nervously, not liking the apprehension he fell from Cinder of all people. She was never apprehensive about anything, really, and he almost asked _why_ he felt her nervousness when he remembered the people in the room.

"First we must deplete Atlas' forces and supplies on Sanus, and strain them until they are thinly spread enough that they begin to rely on almost entirely droid forces in their outermost forts and bases." She said, folding her hands on the table, "This battlegroup consists of our frigate, two refuelling corvettes, a troop transport vessel and a single scout corvette. We will be using it to eliminate fortifications surrounding Vale to achieve our ends." " _We can't use the Grimm either, they have to think the White Fang is acting alone for our plan to work. We need a response to terrorists, not a Grimm incursion."_ "Tomorrow is our first attack, on Fort Kindle, north of Vale."

"I thought we were headed to Mountain Glenn." He asked lowly, eyes hard. "You didn't tell me we'd be fighting Atlesian soldiers on the way, Cinder."

"I'm telling you now. The rest of today will, of course, be yours to do with as you please. Tomorrow is the first of many battles to come for you." " _And you will do as I say in each of them, Jaune, or pay the price for it. Don't forget your pets back at the castle."_ "I trust there is no issue?" She asked coyly, smiling and cocking her head to the side.

"None at all." He growled out, smiling despite himself. "I look forward to it, in fact."

Which was true. He was thoroughly looking forward to seeing if Cinder and Salem held up to their deal, even if everything else was… terrifying.

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 **So, an entirely Jaune-centric in-between. After this is posted I am diving straight into the next chapter, but attaching this to the combat chapter felt like a bad idea. Sorry for the short chapter on that account. I also tried to do some building up of characters and the world a touch, so let me know how that went. Thanks for reading.**

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 _ **[Archive Entry 20976] - Atlesian Air Corps Doctrines - Frigates - Light/Medium Frigate Refueling and Resupplying**_

 **Due to the nature of the Atlesian Air Corps, colloquially referred to as the navy, being the main military force for all the Kingdoms in regards to expeditionary forces patrolling into Grimmlands across Remnant, between Kingdoms and around trade and transport routes, there are almost hundreds of varying ship designs aside from the most commonly seen 'ships of the line' type vessels, from destroyers down to frigates and back up to cruisers and carriers.**

 **Light frigates are not referred to as 'light' due to reasons of role or equipment, but instead due to their duties. A 'light' frigate model is typically less armored and armed than a 'medium' variant, even of the same class, but that doesn't change its definition. A heavier armed and armored Richter class - used for short range patrols and transport duties - would be referred to as a light frigate, due to its role and the complement issued to it to facilitate the role.**

 **Both frigate classes however are unable to function on their own for periods extending beyond seven days. As a result, they will often either fly in a fleet formation or between set points for refueling and resupplying ammunition, food, water, etc. Where possible, forward bases, fortresses and even villages with attached garrisons can and are used for the role.**

 **However, due to the nature of constructions beyond the walls of the Kingdoms, most fleets rely on air forces for the commonly, smaller corvettes complimented by a frigate compliment or a fighter escort themselves served the role.**

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 _Dandaman :_

 **Yup. Coming together for a big scrap too,**

 _(Guest) Othello :_

 **Shhh! You're going to tell everyone how his relationships with most of the people around him are functioning. In all seriousness though, yeah, the osmosis of other's feelings** _ **would**_ **go hand-in-hand with things like absorbing their muscle memory and nature, both of which have been seen in the story. Multiple times in combat with people, especially Pyrrha, and once with Neo in the raid for Blake, for training and nature respectively.**

 _Scott USA :_

 **Thanks, bro.**

 _(Guest) Turtya :_

 **You're close in a lot of respects, actually. Surprisingly so since I haven't hit the point in the story where I start addressing these things directly. For a more detailed response, look to my response to Othello. I would hate to bloat the word count by repeating. Keep up the analysis though, I love seeing it.**

 _Du Man Hieu :_

 **Yup. Not a bad one, I hope, thanks to how I intended on writing this series of chapters.**


	35. Siege of Castle Fort : Part One : A Wall

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 _ **Official Supporters:**_

 **SleeplessShippings**

 **Shadie**

 **Emperor King Perby**

 _ **If you want your name on the lists of my stories and videos, head over to P a t. R e . o n and search for the Temple Walkers. Just let us know you're from Fanfiction, alright? There's a thousand of you, so a dollar a piece would really add up and help me a lot! Once I reach five hundred Supporters of any value over a dollar, I will make a concerted effort to put out a chapter of something once every three days at the very slowest. All Supporters get say in replacement Fics and LP's, as well as other things like fanart exclusives and the like.**_

 _ **I hope you enjoy the chapter and, as always, drop a Review, a follow, and subscribe to our other platforms for more, or become a Supporter to support us more directly. We'll be getting a house soon, so extra money can help a lot! Review responses at the bottom, by the way.**_

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Jaune's nerves were shot thoroughly, watching White Fang grunts check their weapons and sparse, almost useless armor in the massive hangar-like thing on the back bottom of the frigate. On either side, he could see the small doors leading to the guns mounted on the sides of the ship. At the back, huge hydraulic arms held up the bay door at the back, and several stolen Squire frames lumbered toward them in preparation. They'd charge out with their Aura-enabled allies to attempt to establish some form of beachhead. He was sitting on a crate near the back by the stairs, rubbing his head as the headache built up behind his eyes like a steady drum beat. Neo ran up beside him, smiling excitedly at the fighting to come. That excitement died off quickly when she saw his state, and she crouched down so she was sitting in her heels and looking up at him cutely with her mouth slightly open and pink eyes watching him.

He smiled thinly, reaching out and patting her head affectionately, "Hey, Neo. I'm fine, just a bit of a headache with so many people around, and they're all nervous too." He rolled his neck, looking around with a grimace, "Just feels… uncomfortable, I guess. It's kind of hard to explain."

" _Do you want me to go get your helmet?"_ She asked, cocking her head to the other side.

"No." He sighed, crossing his arms and leaning back, "I have to get used to it. My ability is too important when I'm fighting to wear it, so I can't. And out there, this will probably be worse."

" _A lot worse."_ She agreed, nodding sagely and standing up. Closing her eyes and shrugging, and she would have looked so cool if she wasn't only coming up to his shins at the moment, thanks to the size of the box he was sitting on. " _You'll be able to feel every cut, bullet and crushing blow everyone feels. I'm kind of jealous."_

"You shouldn't be." She nodded, accepting it completely, and he was reminded of how troubled Neo was in the end of things. And once again, he accepted it, hopping off the crate heavily as he sensed Cinder's approach behind him. "You know when we'll be landing, Cinder?"

"Sneaking up on you is almost entirely impossible, even in a crowd." " _Which is exactly why you are so valuable."_ She stepped past him, brushing against his shoulder with Emerald and Mercury on her far side. "To answer your question, the Atlesian base already called us a few times for validation of our credentials. Fighters are in the air even now, and we'll be under fire shortly, I'm sure."

He nodded nervously, "Where are we at?"

"A small fortress called Castle Fort." She sighed, cocking her hip and resting a hand on it when he gave her a face, "A stupid sounding name, I know, but it's called that because the man who it is named for was named Fort." " _Which doesn't detract from the blasted naming scheme being utterly stupid."_

" _What's the terrain like? You never covered this in the meeting yesterday. And you interrupted our quality time anyways, even though you didn't."_ Neo asked, Jaune 'translating' the message over to Cinder with a few small edits to the question, while she stared at her uninterestedly.

"Mountainous, and forested heavily." She pulled out her Scroll, pressing a few buttons before showing them a short feed cycling over itself.

The castle was old, made of dark stone bricks forming a circular wall around the inner castle. Two towers stood on either side of the gate, twenty feet taller that the walls around it. Soldiers were on top of it,white uniforms and armor standing in contrast to the black stone and brown wood of the fortifications. Mostly stone, but inside wood supported it. Like most old Valean forts and castles, and this was definitely that judging by the dark colors that Vale preferred in its older fortifications, it was built by finding a large hill, cutting the top away and replacing it with a fortified position. Surrounding it, the forest sprouted up at the base of the steep hill around a hundred yards away.

Cinder pointed to the base of the only approach one could really make to it on foot and en masse, a countermeasure sought after as much as the hill by Old Vale to ward off the Grimm. "We'll be landing here, the trees will be crushed under our ship's weight so don't worry about it. Then we go up the hill, and take the castle."

"What about the Grimm?" He asked quietly, the ship shaking again. More violently this time, and hard enough that Cinder actually moved slightly. "W-Won't they be a problem for us too? They always attack if a fight takes too long."

"Oh no, not at all." " _My Mistress is watching us even now, she won't allow the Grimm to intervene no matter how much they wish to."_ The ship shuddered lightly, different from the others, and the ramp lowered the other half faster. "Now, do your best, Jaune. Most of these soldiers are base recruits, stationed where the Grimm are weakest. This should be easy." " _Especially with your whore on your heels."_

The Squires lumbered out in front of them, rounds impacting them lightly from light rifles and sentry guns up the hill, firing through slits in the walls as their allies further up couldn't quite aim at them where they were under the nose of the ship.

Cinder grabbed his arm as he made to step forward, jerking him to a stop, "I never told you your jobs here." He gave her a look, somewhere between trying to be firm and a grimace as he yanked his arm free from hers. "You and your harlot get into the castle, open that gate. We need the castle intact or we'd just blast the walls in with our cannons." " _And we have to keep the Grimm a secret, for now at least."_

"Got it." She nodded, and he turned to Neo, the Squires behind him forming a wall of steel and firing back with their large, arm-mounted cannons, trying not to damage the walls by aiming at the dirt and flinging it into the air to block their sightlines. "Can you get into the castle?" She nodded, and he added, "Can you get _us_ into the castle?"

" _Maybe, yeah. We get to the gate, I can jump inside. Then I get the gates open."_ He grimaced and she shrugged, " _I can't take you in too without ending up on my back. And not in the fun way either."_

"Alright, we'll get there." he looked at Cinder who had been watching with a patient, amused face, "Tell the Squires to support us, and send Mercury. We need the help, but we can do it."

She snapped a finger at the silver haired man and he sighed exaggeratedly, stepping forward, " _Oh fuck me, I actually have to work with the little blonde shit?"_ "Ma'am?"

"Follow him, help him get the gates open. I'll order the Squires to go with you." He nodded and she stepped past him, Emerald turning as she approached, "When it's opened, Emerald and I will lead the advance." She turned, looking at Mercury with a small smirk, "Don't fail me. I can't hurt Jaune, but you I can punish." " _And your little servants at the castle, of course, Jaune."_

Taking a shaky breath, he looked at the Knight closest to him, cockpit turned enough to see him, and nodded. The two stepped out simultaneously, lumbering forward in front of the trio, and dozens of Atlesian Garrison Force soldiers and small Atlesian Knights opened fire on them, the small arms fire doing little against the mechanized Squires' heavy armor. They slogged forward, the dirt under them softened by the rounds slamming into it around them and ahead of them as they advanced, and behind him the ship's cannons boomed as it tried to blast the few Atlesian gunships out of the sky.

As they approached the castle, Jaune felt his nerves fraying even further as the nervous and frightened - as well as wounded already - men and women inside grew closer, and Neo grew more and more manic at the coming prospects for herself. One of the Squires in front of him shuddered as a missile hit its leg, almost caving in right away but barely managing to stay upright and moving, and they finally slid into the small indent that the gate rated in, grates sliding back above them as a few soldiers started firing down at them.

Head pounding, legs aching, and sweat pouring off him, he grabbed Mercury's shoulder and wrenched the silver-haired assassin to face him, "How high can you jump?" When he turned to check on Neo, he sensed her vanishing away.

"What?" Mercury asked in surprise, raising an eyebrow at him and looking up at the ceiling, the wall outside only slightly higher than it but still at least fifty feet up, "Not that high, kid, no way. I can close maybe thirty on my own, but the wall is a good bit higher than that." " _And even if I made that jump, my legs would malfunction from the strain if I started fighting right away."_

Jaune turned, clambering up the closest Squire - the one not damaged - carefully and banging on the window. The pilot inside shook his head, punching a button so that the machine opened forward and up, "Are you insane? I'll get shot with this thing open!" " _Crazy Dust damned Humans, why does Adam let them work with us?"_ "What the hell do you want?"

"I need you to fling Mercury into the air, before they start dropping bombs on us through those holes in the roof or something." The pilot just stared at him from behind his mask, and Jaune sighed, "Look, he has Aura, it'll be fine. Your partner over there is damaged, he won't survive any more explosions. So just do it. I mean, so what if a random Human gets smashed against the wall?"

"Hey!" Mercury yelled, standing close enough to make out the conversation over the gunfire and the sound of metal and stone slamming into the Squires' armored sides. "I care!"

"Fine, Human, have your friend climb onto my gun. I'll fling him high as I can." " _Holy shit they really are insane…"_ Jaune nodded, dropping down and stumbling, and Mercury dragged him upright as the Squire lumbered forward slightly.

"Mercury, climb onto its cannon arm and it'll throw you up." Jaune ordered, pointing at it with his sword, "When you get up there, you don't have to do much, just keep them busy until Neo can get the gate open."

"How long will _that_ take?" " _And why the hell am I the projectile now?"_ Mercury demanded, looking at the machine anxiously if a bit interestedly.

He could sense panic in the castle, and pain, alongside Neo's utter joy and a sensation he only felt when they were in bed or she was killing things, and Jaune sighed, "A few minutes, maybe? I don't know, she feels like she's enjoying herself in there." Mercury gave him a look and he continued, "She won't leave me out here, I'm too damn useful to her and Roman for her to risk me getting hurt."

"Fine." Mercury grumbled, rolling his shoulders and climbing up the machine. He stopped at its shoulder, looking back at him, "You better tell Cinder about this crazy stunt!" " _Maybe then she'll take it easier on me."_

Jaune just nodded.

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Mercury barely kept his breath as the machine's arm shot upwards under him, flinging him high into the air. At least twenty feet higher than needed, and he rolled his eyes before using his legs to launch himself at the wall. An unlucky Atlesian looked up just in time for Mercury to slam into his chest hard enough to crush his ribs and send blood shooting out of the soldier's mouth.

Turning, he kicked the droid who'd been next to him into the air and spun, turning the machine into a projectile and slamming it into two soldiers further down the wall hard enough to kill them and hurl them from the wall entirely. Another soldier turned, firing at him, and he ducked behind a woman in light armor, the rounds tearing her apart. He yanked her rifle from her, using it to gun down the soldier who'd killed her in a long burst and turning to the soldiers by the grates in the floor, firing at them as he charged.

Surprised, they barely put up any fight before he reached them, gunning down four of the six as he went. The last two he kicked off the wall, letting them fall to their deaths. An Atlesian officer down the wall said something to his men, half of them charging him with the uniformed officer behind, and he sighed.

At lest this job was fun.

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Neo looked at Jaune, spinning Mercury towards him, and smiled as she closed her eyes. After a moment, the sounds around her shifted, and she opened her eyes on a small courtyard on the other side of the stone gate. Soldiers and droids ran around, carrying ammunition, wounded, corpses and so on down from the wall and up, trying to supply the fight. Clearly panicked, she knelt behind several small crates by the gate and smield when she saw why.

Aside from one man at the top of the building inside the castle, leaning on a railing outside a door leading into the last and talled part of the building, and a few officers commanding the men no one here had any rank worth anything.

" _Cinder was right, I guess. Mostly fresh meat, probably an initiation posting to get the used to garrisoning."_ Smiling to herself, she slowly drew her sword from her umbrella, watching a woman nervously ru towards her crates to get something. As soon as she leant over the crate to lift it, Neo lunged up, pressing her lips to the woman's for a distraction and dragging her over the crate in one motion.

By the time the woman actually managed to realize that this woman did _not_ belong here and tried to separate from the kiss, Neo was straddling her. She pressed the blade against her throat and shushed her, the frightened woman staying quiet as she worked at her helmet for a few seconds until it came away.

The woman's face was pretty enough, pale with short-cut blonde hair and blue eyes framed in a young face, all dirty from the fighting and frightened from Neo's knife. After a second of Neo appraising her, memorizing the facial patterns enough to copy it, she spoke, "W-What do you want?"

Neo rolled her eyes, gesturing around them as though it were obvious, and the woman opened her mouth to say something Neo ignored while she thought. " _Jaune would want me to let her live, but killing her would be more fun…"_

After a few seconds she sighed, laying the blade beside the woman and clasping her hands around her neck. Her pretty blue eyes widened attractively and Neo smiled, watching her panic and enjoying the way her arms flailed under Neo, slapping away at Neo's legs and rear while she rested her knees on her shoulders, making sure she couldn't actually fight her in any real way. Neo leaned in close, listening to her gasp and watching the panic on her face until she passed out, and a few more seconds of choking the limp woman in case she was faking, before sighing and sliding off her. Grabbing some rope lying on the dirty stone that the crates were on, she tied the woman up and closed her eyes.

When she opened them, she stood calmly, disguised as the woman completely. Hefting the crate, she carried it over to the man by the gate, who nodded as she approached, "Private Hestia, what took you so long?" Neo made her best show of being frightened, flinching back, and the officer sighed, "Look, just get inside the keep, grab the rockets inside, and get them on the wall, alright?"

She nodded, turning and running through the keep's door. Inside she was pleased to find it mostly empty other than a few unarmored soldiers carrying crates to the door. She followed two into a storage room, and when they turned with a crate between them, she flicked out her sword arm. They collapsed quietly, aside from a few wet gasps that no one would hear, and she turned back around in time to catch a young private around the throat, slamming him against the wall by the door.

"The hell you doin'? We're under-" He demanded, choking out at the last sentence as she squeezed hard on his jugular and held her Scroll up.

" _Tell me where the gate's controls are, and you get to live. Don't, and I'll kill you like these other idiots that wouldn't tell me."_ He looked over her shoulder, eyes widening when he saw her handiwork. That they hadn't even been _asked_ wasn't something he needed to know. " _You going to answer?"_

After he nodded eagerly, she relaxed her grip enough for him to breathe and let him catch his breath before he answered, "D-Down the hall, last door on your right in the corner, the gate officer should be there. Just swipe his keycard in the machine and you should be able to open it." His hands shook on her arm as he swallowed nervously, "I-I'm new here, so there might be more, but that's all I know."

She nodded, choking him out the same way she'd done the woman earlier and tying him to a crate. Slinking down the hallway, she slid into the small room at the end of the hallway he'd pointed out. Inside, two droids were standing behind a man in his seat, watching the screen closely. Smiling, she flicked her blade out and cut the power cable running to the closest droid's processor. The other turned when it fell, but she kicked it over and leapt on top of it, stabbing into its chest until it stopped moving.

She froze when she felt a gun pressed against her back, smiling slightly, "Who the hell are you?"

She allowed her disguise to fall, turning and smiling up at him with brown eyes. He flinched when she blinked and they changed, and she ducked as the pistol fired, the round burying itself in the wall. He turned to yell, and she stood, her sword sliding between his ribs on the side and through both lungs. He collapsed and she followed him down, straddling her prey as he coughed, and leaning in to press herself against him closely, enjoying the moment and twisting the blade tightly.

Once he was dead she gave him a sweet kiss for the show and stood, taking the keycard off his waist as she did and moving to the machine. After a minute of looking and testing, she smiled as the gate slid open and Jaune ducked inside.

She hoped he appreciated her not killing _everyone_ at least, she hoped as she turned, adorning her disguise again as she ran from the room and towards the door she'd come in through.

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Jaune ducked under the gate as it lifted, blocking the butt of a rifle as he came up and swinging on instinct at the surprised man's chest. He felt Crocea Mors cut through the man, both in the mental and normal sense, and grunted at the sharp pain at the man fell. Turning, he saw the two Squires lumber in, using their lighter chainguns to open fire on the Atlesians as they ran for the cover of the keep.

Neo appeared there, cutting down several in a few fluid movements, and she saw his sickly look as she ran at him. The walls and courtyard firmly theirs, he turned to see the rest of the relatively small White Fang force - only really about fifty in total, counting the ones meant to loot from the base - trudging up the hill with Cinder at their head.

Mercury dropped off the wall on the inside as she approached, and CInder smiled at him, "Splendid work, Jaune. Absolutely splendid, you managed to take the castle virtually on your own." " _I must admit, I hadn't expected such a resounding success… But good work regardless."_

"It was mostly Mercury and Neo, Cinder." He admitted quickly, trying to ignore the men around him and holding his head in his hands. "I… need to go back to the ship, I feel… everything."

Cinder, for once, actually looked a touch sympathetic and laid a hand on the small of his back hesitantly, "I know, Jaune, but this is our job. We're almost done, and hopefully there won't need to be much more killing." " _At least not on your part."_ "I need you here though, as a display of our taking this place without losing anyone."

Around them, Jaune watched White Fang soldiers man the walls temporarily, scavengers looting the dead and wounded of weapons, ammunitions and armor they could use, and a few people sketching out the keep itself, for future sieges and raids. "O-Okay, Cinder, I'll try and stick it out."

Neo jerked on his arm hard, and he turned to see her smiling at him with an unconscious woman lying behind her, " _I did something for you, Jaune."_

He looked at Cinder, the other woman shrugging in confusion at the unconscious body and the clear question in his look, then to Mercury who rolled his eyes and threw his hands up. Turning back to her, he looked at the unconscious and bound woman, "Neo, what did you do for me, exactly?"

" _I could've killed her but I didn't. I let her live just for you!"_ He blinked a few times before chuckling, wrapping an arm around her shoulder and hugging her. She curled into the hug, pleased at the praise and affection she was getting, " _There's a guy inside too!"_

"She didn't kill a couple people, even though she wanted to, since she didn't need to." He explained tiredly to the other three people, Neo nodding excitedly like a kid who'd brought her test home with an A on it. He ran a hand through her hair, the girl pressing into it like a cat, and sighed, "At least she's trying."

"I'm going to go and demand their surrender before the Fang start planting bombs on the keep." Cinder said quickly, sounding defeated in an odd way. "I have an agreement to uphold." " _Annoying as that may be."_

"What should we do with her?" He asked Cinder, gesturing at the Atlesian woman lying next to him.

Cinder spared her a glance and rolled her eyes, snapping her fingers at Mercury and Emerald, "Drag her to the ship and lock her in an interior room until I figure out what else to do with her." " _Why didn't I bring a prisoner ship? I should have known Jaune would cause a headache there."_

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	36. Siege of Castle Fort : Part Two : Bloody

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 _ **Official Supporters:**_

 **SleeplessShippings**

 **Shadie**

 **Emperor King Perby**

 _ **If you want your name on the lists of my stories and videos, head over to P a t. R e . o n and search for the Temple Walkers. Just let us know you're from Fanfiction, alright? There's a thousand of you, so a dollar a piece would really add up and help me a lot! Once I reach five hundred Supporters of any value over a dollar, I will make a concerted effort to put out a chapter of something once every three days at the very slowest. All Supporters get say in replacement Fics and LP's, as well as other things like fanart exclusives and the like.**_

 _ **I hope you enjoy the chapter and, as always, drop a Review, a follow, and subscribe to our other platforms for more, or become a Supporter to support us more directly. We'll be getting a house soon, so extra money can help a lot! Review responses at the bottom, by the way.**_

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 **~~~~~~~~~~~~ Special Announcement Time Thing ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~**

 **So, due to my steadily relaxing schedule, I am considering adding a third story to my rotation and wanted some input. Supporters especially, and I may put a poll up to this effect actually at some point.**

 **Now, as it stands, I could return to my crafting Jaune fic,** _ **The Workshop.**_

 **I could also start an Overlord fic that I haven't got a proper name for - suggestions welcome - with Jaune as the Overlord.** _ **Lord Knight**_ **maybe? Or does that sound like a ship a bit too much?**

 **Suggestions and 'votes' on either are welcome, as well as input on how the stories ought to go.**

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" _I can't believe the Humans took the walls like that."_

" _One of our Paladin's arms are ruined, damn Atlesians and their missiles… At least the Humans kept them intact."_

" _I wonder if Perry is okay? He was cute."_

" _All this ammunition will go a long way."_

" _Why on Remnant does this base have fifteen tons of lubricant and a giant, inflatable rubber dock on stock?"_

While Cinder and the White Fang started preparing for the next bout of fighting, the most vicious one from the thoughts around him, Jaune sat by the gate into the castle's courtyard, sitting on the ground and leaning against one of the many crates the White Fang had gathered to haul back to their ship. Neo sat cross legged above him, smiling and watching the grunts mill about while engineers at the door into the keep proper tried to splice the lock and make it open without destroying the fort. And all the while, trying his damndest to avoid thinking about the fight itself and that man - how it felt not to stab him, but to _be stabbed_ himself, since he'd felt it just the same - by immersing himself in the people around him.

Sensing a couple of grunts slip away, and what came after, he started laughing until Neo leaned over to look at him with curious eyes. "Couple of White Fang soldiers just slipped off for some private fun. Found it amusing, given the circumstances."

" _Not a bad idea, really."_ She thought to him amid a flurry of thoughts from everyone around them, almost buried as he pulled himself more fully back into his own head, narrowing his focus back to the small area around them and letting everything else fade into the dull roar he was used to always hearing in the background. " _I mean, they're not important enough to need or notice, so why not, right? I'd do the same with you, if I didn't think the queen bitch would come chasing us into the woods."_

He could imagine it too, Cinder storming into the woods with flames crackling around her and catching him in her mouth with his pants around his ankles. He almost laughed, but sighed instead, "Yeah, Cinder and her… team, I guess? They don't really let me run around on my own. And when she can't pay attention to me herself, and I'm out and around, she has someone watching. Right, Emerald?"

With a sigh, and a fe irritated thoughts and swears, she dropped down on the other side of the gate's entrance, where the Squires had once stood and launched Mercury into the air.

She glared balefully at him as she straightened, cocking her hip like Cinder tended to and resting a hand on it, "You are _very_ irritating, you know that? And Cinder has a lot of good reasons to keep a tail on you, so don't complain." " _By the Brothers, I'm bored… why can't Mercury watch these two?"_

"I know why she's doing it." Jaune said dismissively, "I know why _everyone_ does whatever they do, usually. And I didn't know you worshipped the Brothers?"

Emerald flushed, crossing her arms and looking away from him, "You don't _worship_ the Brothers, and I don't follow them anyways. It's more of… you believe the events happened, way back when. Some people follow rules meant to uphold one of the Brothers' ideas and morals, but many don't." " _And they cause a lot of headaches too, in Vacuo…"_ "And stop reading my mind, you ass."

"I can't exactly switch it of, Emerald." He said tiredly, shrugging when she glared at him. "It sucks, believe me I know that much better than you do, but I can't do anything about it unless I put on my helmet, and Cinder doesn't want me to do that. And she has her reasons, so don't complain."

" _Dust damn it, he's turning around my phrases."_ "You're a very annoying man, you know that? And I know Mercury, so that's saying something." She sighed, shaking her head and turning to look at the ship nestled among the fallen trees left by its wake at the bottom of the hill, leaning against the wall.

"You're angry." He observed, feeling it roil and scrunching his nose when she turned to look at him. "No, you're… conflicted? Agitated? And not at me." He added when she opened her mouth, intending on blaming him, "It's _about_ me, or related, but not at me."

"You're annoying me." She groused quietly, but not with the same heat he'd normally have expected. " _Especially since she keeps paying you so much attention…"_ She turned to look at him angrily, " _Shit, he heard that!"_ "Keep your mouth shut about it."

He turned his head, sighing softly as he sensed Cinder turn to approach them, "I won't, now relax before she gets curious."

" _I could always-"_

"No, Neo, behave yourself." He said half-heartedly, reaching up to slap her leg weakly. He could feel her pout as she flopped back onto the crate, arms and legs spread wide, but ignored her as Cinder approached. "Any news?"

"We're almost ready to breach the keep, and you're on the front lines, Jaune. Right with Emerald, Mercury, Neo and, of course, myself. The typical tactic here is for us to push in, and let the Auraless follow behind." She gestured behind her at the assembling fighters, around two dozen, "Specialists, or so I'm told. Here to make a showing of some kind for us, I would wager. That's half of why I had you go to such pains to take the walls without casualties." " _That and how insufferable Taurus is whenever I lose soldiers of his."_

"O-Okay." He said weakly, standing while Neo turned her head to watch them disinterestedly. He couldn't lie, he wasn't exactly thrilled about what she was suggesting. Hell, he opposed it entirely, but such was life. For him, at least.

" _You'll be alright."_ Neo 'said', kicking his shoulder gently to get his attention, " _I'll keep an eye on you, so you'll be safe at least."_

"I know, Neo." He said quietly, sighing. That wasn't the problem, really, not that she had any way of telling that on her own. Neo was… not the best at empathising with other people on a good day. "You ready for this, Neo?"

She nodded, rolling and flipping off the box with her hand, and Jaune rolled her eyes at her showing off. She winked at him when she notice him looking at her in an amused way, and he sighed. She was trying to cheer him up still, distracting him from everything else around him. He followed Cinder and Neo to the door, a short White Fang soldier kneeling by it, his rifle lying next to him on the grass, two horns curling around his head on top of a small frame. A sheep Faunus, maybe?

He turned when Cinder approached him, looking up and talking in a shy, weak voice, Like the kind that a child used with strangers, almost. "Doors ready to open whenever you want, Ma'am. No way of hiding what I did to it though, so watch yourselves. Probably gonna have defenses built on the other side of the wall." " _Assuming they aren't suicidal, of course. Seen dumber though."_

"Jaune?" She asked, turning to him slightly, "What do you… detect?" " _Trying to say that without revealing too much is… surprisingly hard."_ She gestured at the door, smiling coyly, "By all means, test yourself."

He swallowed nervously, stepping past her, almost touching the door with his forehead and closing his eyes. True to what the Faunus had said, he could feel the nervous thoughts of soldiers on the other side, preparing.

" _Where's the damn ammunition for this thing? How can I use the heavy gun without ammunition!"_

" _Why are the White Fang here? We're not even important enough for a Paladin or Squire detachment! What's going on?"_

" _They're jamming our radio too… I just want to send my wife a message, by the Brothers!"_

" _Where are the damn cakes? I'm not dying on an empty stomach!"_

"They're forming up defenses on the other side, some kind of… heavy gun. It doesn't have a lot of ammo though, from the sounds of it." He flinched when the panic hit him harder than normal, shaking his head and turning to look at Cinder. She smiled approvingly and his jaw worked in agitation, both his and feeding off those inside the keep proper. "That's all I can offer."

"Perfect." She said simply, rolling her shoulders as flame flowed down her arm, ending at her hands as balls of flame curling around her fingers. "I shall destroy that at the first, then." She turned to Merald, the girl straightening at the attention, "I will be fatigued for a few moments after, shall protect me, while I recover."

"How long will that take?" Jaune asked nervously, not liking the idea of lacking some of their strongest firepower.

"A couple minutes at worst." Emerald said quickly, looking to Cinder for affirmation. When the older woman nodded, she continued, "We've had to do similar in the past, it never takes very long." " _As long as she doesn't have to maintain her Aura constantly, she should be fine."_ "I use my Semblance to hide her, then back out to rest when she's recovered." " _Muddying thoughts is much easier than making illusions outright."_

"Got it." Jaune said, looking at Neo, "What do you want us to do until you get back up and, you know, hurling fires around and roasting people?"

"I want your harlot to find and kill officers, they're the only ones really keeping these new soldiers." Jaune grimaced and Cinder sighed tiredly, irritation rolling off of her, "I understand, Jaune, you hate killing people you see as 'good'. Hence me targeting officers. The others will panic and run, or surrender outright." " _Or they'll all die, surely enough."_

"My men will provide covering fire and support, once the fight starts to turn." The sheep Faunus added from Cinder's other side, arm resting on his knee while he knelt and waited for the order to start. "If shit hits the fan particularly hard, we'll go in early to help you all." " _Even if my people get pissy at fighting with Humans."_

"Thank you." Jaune offered honestly, smiling politely at the Faunus. He nodded his head in return, and Jaune turned to face the door more fully. "Open it up, then. Uh, assuming that you're ready, Cinder?"

She chuckled quietly, turning to the White Fang soldier with her fires burning brightly in her hand, and rolled her shoulders again to stretch them out. "Open the door so we may get this started." " _At long last."_

He nodded, leaning down and going to work on the hole he'd broken in the wall. After a few seconds of his mumbling, the door clicked loudly and slid back. Jaune charged in first, shield raised as a torrent of rounds slammed into it hard enough to shake his arm and numb it, and Cinder followed.

The defenses inside were minimal, as he'd kind of expected after the previous trouncing they'd received. A large round entry area, about ten feet in diameter, with three hallways leading off. One straight in front of the door, and town more to either side. Furniture of all kinds, from beds to tables,crammed each one with a thin area in the middles that a man could get through if he turned sideways and slid through slowly. Straight across from the door and resting on top of an overturned bedframe, a soldier unleashing the rounds into his shield with a couple fellows to either side.

Stepping to his left, partially shielding herself behind his shield, Cinder flicked her wrists. Two balls of fire flew across the room, each the size of an Ursa, and seared the stone floor black as it went. The dozen soldiers behind the barricade were hurled through the air once it struck, wood, metal and even stone flying into the room beyond where the walls cracked on either side. He felt most die, but a couple on the furthest flanks started to stagger away. Neo flashed to the one on the right, slamming a boot into his head before doing the same to the other, and the girl smiled at him expectantly,hoping for more praise at her restraint.

He smiled, covering Cinder as Emerald came to join her and protect her before moving to his left, trying to keep his numb shield-arm up under the weight of the heavy - if inaccurate - fire of the panicked soldiers on that side. Several White Fang soldiers at the door leaned in, doing their best to suppress the equally frightened soldiers on the right side. Which worked rather well, reducing their fire to random bursts flying around the room, hitting the other barricade and the soldiers there as often as they bounced weakly off his Aura and armor.

He approached the barricade hesitantly - short, shaky steps, using the senses of others to tell his location more than his own eyes while he hid behind the thick metal shield - and cautiously, before Neo appeared above it and landed among them, her sword killing two soldiers in rapid thrusts before she leapt,wrapping her legs around a woman's head and blinding her with her stomach as she forced her weight back, flipping her off the barricade and hurling her a few feet across the hallway on the other side. Jaune was just about to start squeezing through when a large man in heavier armor, white painted like the Atlesians always wore, but far heavier and looking closer to plated armor, with a full helmet like the normal men's aside from the two horns curling down from them like the other Faunus' outside.

Another Faunus? He didn't have enough time to wonder as he swung his large axe, Jaune ducking under it and scrambling back as Neo joined him, " _An Atlesian Specialist, be careful. He's dangerous. They're like Huntsman, but enlisted in the military."_

Like the other Atlesians, his armor was painted a bright white and covered his limbs in sheathes of metal to protect him. The body, however, was different. The top was solid, a triangle rising up in the front of his stomach along the same lines where Jaune would bet the Atlesian's ribs were, dull edge rimmed black. Under that, a short piece of cloth rested at the connection between it and the stomach pieces, dozens and more small metal plates linked together and layered, making a flexing barrier that wouldn't hinder movement. His helmet was full, round topped with a dark visor on the front shaped like a large T, with wider eye areas at the top. Lighter colored portions on the sides under his horns, where pieces could probably be removed to let the helmet come on, contrasted with the dark white. The shoulders and legs were covered by stiff, and short, cloth with metal underneath. Four Vs with three stars were on each and his right breast, probably a show of rank. Thin cloth covered his neck, probably meant for warmth in other climates.

He looked behind him, at Emerald, and the green-haired thief shook her head at him. Cinder was behind her, resting against the wall and watching him with hard, if admittedly dull, eyes. He turned back to the man, soldiers manning the barricades behind him training their weapons on him and his mute partner anxiously. He could sense the others doing the same, the White Fang at the door even stopping to watch what would happen next.

Taking a nervous breath, Jaune shifted into a more defensive stance with his shield a few inches in front of him and his blade resting with the flat against its rim. "Are you the commander of the, uh, castle garrison here?"

" _He doesn't know? Odd."_ The man shifted, looking at the destroyed barricade and then at his men across the room, _What do i say? I can't risk a bigger fight, even if I can win it in the end. If the garrison is dead and the castle in pieces, I won't survive long before the Grimm strike… What do I do here?"_ "Yes. Specialist Walter Brass, of Atlas."

"You should give up, Walter." Jaune advised nervously, gesturing at the wall and the area outside, "You're outnumbered, and surrounded, and no one is able to help you. Surrender the fort, I don't want anyone else to get hurt here."

"Then leave." He grunted, gesturing at the door, "Take your terrorists with you." _If I surrender, will the White Fang kill me for joining Atlas? And what about my men? I have Faunus in my ranks."_ "Me and my men will fight regardless of the dds, we're Atlesians."

" _We can take him easy."_ He didn't even need to look at Cinder to know that was off the table, and turned his head slightly to look at Neo, " _If we kill him, the others may give up. I used to do that all the time, it let me have them for later. He may be a Specialist, but the fact he's out here at what amounts to a training base says a lot about how dangerous he is."_

"You and your men won't be surrendering to the White Fang, you'd be surrendering to me. None of you have to worry about any prejudice, I swear." He said, knocking his sword against his shield lightly, "An Arc never breaks his word."

"Not happening." He grunted back, hefting the axe in both hands in front of him, "I have more trust in my axe than in you, so not happening." " _The White Fang might scatter if I beat him, they seem to be deferring to him. For them to respect a Human says a lot."_ "I wager that if your head rolls, the battle will end in my favor regardless."

"You are _way_ overestimating how important I am." Jaune said simply, sighing and resigning himself to the fight to come. "Let's just... get this over with then, I guess."

The man didn't say anything else, sliding his right hand up to the base of the blade part of his axe and charging him. Jaune braced himself for it, watching the man put weight behind his off-shoulder side as he ran. Neo ran off the side, turning to run at his side after a few steps, and a man on the barricades tried to shoot at her. She turned and smiled, shattering as the rounds impacted and reappearing in front of Jaune as the larger Faunus got close. She swung her sword and the man flicked out his hand, her weapon bouncing away as though it had struck an invisible barrier.

Returning the hand he'd used against Neo to the bottom of his axe, inverting it so the head nearly touched the floor and slamming it into her chest. The girl's Aura blocked as much as it could, but she still doubled over the axe's head, and the man grabbed her with his right hand before she could get away, wrapping an armored fist around her neck and hurling her to the ground next to his right and hefting the axe over his other shoulder.

Jaune rushed in, slamming his shield's rim into the man's forearm when he raised his axe to hit her again before she could recover. He grunted at the force of the impact, turning the axe to strike Jaune's shield instead. The force shoved him back and he staggered, the man grabbing it and swinging it as hard as he could at Jaune's chest while he flailed for balance. Neo appeared next to Jaune, yanking his hoodie back and pulling him out of the way of the blow, the axe slamming into her shoulder with a dull crunch and forcing her to the ground with a gasp of surprised pain.

"Enough force can break bones through Aura, kids. Lesson of the day, I guess. Got a few more for you if you don't back down." He said quickly, pulling his axe to the side and horse kicking her in the stomach to drive her to the ground. "And ways to get past it are damn useful, hence the blunted axe. An edge might get stopped, a blunt weapon though… That'll hurt right through Aura." _Even if it is a bit of a brutal tactic… It works."_

Jaune and Neo both rose, the latter shakily with her left arm hand uselessly. She grunted at Jaune when he looked at her, and she smiled, " _I'm fine, this is kind of fun now. It's boring when they don't fight back."_

He hefted his axe again in his hands, bouncing lightly and watching them. " _The one with the shield will probably lead, while the injured one tries to get at my back again. I didn't see her Aura pop, so my men can't handle her…"_ Jaune felt the man look back at him and tensed, hand gripping his shield tighter, " _If I can kill her, he shouldn't pose a problem."_

This time, he didn't charge, instead content to wait until they made a move. And standing in the cold stone entryway to _his_ castle, Jaune understood why. He was in precisely no hurry, every minute that passed was a minute that help could theoretically arrive. And now Neo was hurt as well and, when he turned to see if Cinder could help, she shook her head, a weak ember smoldering in her hands in front of her. Emerald couldn't do anything either, and Mercury was probably still at the ship, he didn't sense him among the men and women outside.

Jaune advanced on the Atlesian lowly, easing his foot forward over and over, until he was only a few feet away with Neo at his side. The axe-wielding Atlesian pulled his off leg back, holding the head of his axe near his head. When Jaune lunged in, aiming a weak thrust for his face, he swung it around form his left powerfully enough to force him back a step. Neo ducked under it, slashing across his stomach a few times before he swung down and smashed her, the small woman shattering into a million pieces as her Semblance moved her to his back.

As Neo swung at his back, Jaune swung for his chest, and he held up his right hand towards Jaune. The blonde knight bounced back as though he'd hit a wall, stumbling away while the Atlesian soldier spun and forced Neo back with a heavy swing. Turning back around again, the Atlesian swung through that same space that Jaune had bounced off, sweeping his legs out from under him and dropping him heavily on the ground, the weight of his own armor driving the breath from his lungs and leaving him spread eagle on the cold floor.

He hefted the axe high over head, and Jaune didn't even need his Semblance to know what he intended to do with it. As it descended, Neo rolled under the Atlesian and grabbed ahold of Jaune, the two shattering as the hit landed and reappearing above the man. Jaune hit the ground next to him and grunted, struggling even harder to breathe and rolling over as she landed on his shoulders and started trying to choke him, that sort of action not thwarted by Aura generally.

He staggered in surprise, reaching up with his off hand to grab her wounded arm, yanking on her broken shoulder hard enough that _Jaune_ saw stars and slamming her into the ground. He buried the axe-head into the ground and flicked his right hand, using his left to hurl her to the side where she slammed into another invisible wall, sliding down it into a heap on the floor as brown sparks smoldered across her body.

Her Aura, flaring as it approached death. The Atlesian noticed, looking between them and sighing, "I had hoped you'd give up now." Jaune glared and tried to rise, looking past him to Cinder. The brunette shook her head yet again, grimacing, and the Atlesian continued, "I suppose you give me no alternative then. None may say I didn't try, at least." " _Even if I knew it wouldn't work."_

He adjusted his grip on the axe's metal pole, the worn grip at its center's black contrasting with the white of the weapon and the dull grey at its head. With a sharp twist and clock, a red energy field sparked at the front, like the older variants of Atlesian Knights that the SDC used for security. A cutting field that upper heated and melted away whatever it hit, metal or flesh, as easily as a hot knife through butter.

Jaune staggered to his feet for what felt like the twelfth time and Neo did similar, the small woman panting slightly and bleeding from a cut on her forehead. A bad sign, to be sure.

He hefted it at her in a powerful swing and she shattered, appearing next to Jaune as her Aura flared dully and vanished, and Jaune rushed in, swinging his sword at his opponent's stomach. Neo, Hazel, Pyrrha, no one he'd 'absorbed' fought like him, he couldn't predict his attacks as easily as them. He could still read his muscle memory, of course, but that wasn't enough to beat the better-trained man.

Neo poked him with her rapier, " _I only have enough Aura to make one more jump. I can't take any more hits, it won't even stop them."_

"I'll hold him off then." He said shakily, as much thanks to his damn nerves as the fatigue he was feeling. The Atlesians around him cheered for their leader, while the White Fang at the door watched anxiously. The former's excitement ate away at him as much as the later's anxiety. "Or try to, at least."

This time, Walter charged Jaune, axe held high and ready to finish off his weakened enemy. Neo backed away quickly, before Jaune could even tell her to, sticking only as close as she felt she needed to be to help. Jaune held his ground, raising his shield to block the attack.

And ducking under it, slamming his shield edge-first up into the flat of the axe-head to force it away. He felt the man's surprise, slashing at his stomach and stepping past him, keeping his right side to him so he could swing again at his back. The blade struck the protective metal, digging into it slightly, and Jaune actually felt a swell of confidence and surprise, the latter from the Faunus fighter and followed by irritation.

He spun partially, using the bottom of the axe's haft as a surprise bludgeon and smashing it into his head and knock him down before turning the other direction and hefting the weapon overhead, swinging for his neck. The electrified weapon would sap his Aura rapidly, while the weight snapped his neck. He raised Crocea Mors over his head, sword behind his shield to add extra weight.

The axe struck hard, and Jaune felt his arms burn at the weight as the man bore down to make the electrical energy arc against and into the shield, sparking across his body painfully and making his hair rise. His Aura shielded him from the burns, but he electricity still hurt badly, and he couldn't hold in a short, breathless scream as his arms began to give.

Pulling back, he swung it like a golf club and knocked his shield to the side, stepping on his arm with a leg and hefting the axe overhead. "Sorry, kid, just a job you weren't cut out for." " _Not the first to refuse to give up, won't be the last either, probably."_

" _Jaune, teleporting! Try and roll to the side!"_ He turned his head just enough to see her, and tried to move, but his numb, weakened body refused.

Neo slammed into him from the side before the blow could land, and they shattered one more time as it bit home. But Jaune felt the sting and arc anyways, empathetically as they rolled across the ground a few yards away, with Jaune ending on top and wincing. Turning to find his opponent, he started to stagger upright and slipped, falling into a warm, red pool as he did and looking at Neo's still form.

"Neo?" He asked quietly, reaching out to touch her back, her white jacket pinkening around the harsh tear in the cloth and, under it, the soft skin. She not only failed to answer…

She failed to _dream_ in her unconscious state, as all others had done so.

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 _ **Vahn :**_

 **Yeah, to be honest, I was worried it would seem such. Truthfully it's not, and as a note, his allegiance never really swapped. People just attributed the wrong allegiance to him, making him loyal to someone and something he never claimed to be loyal to. He was never loyal to Ozpin, nor was he loyal/is loyal to Salem and company.I had hoped to convey that, but perhaps I ought to put in a section at some point? Gimme your thoughts on that, please. Further, everything between him, Neo and Roman a;lso have meanings and goals outside himself. Those, however, are only just being able to be seen, if I'm doing my job even remotely right.**

 _ **Scott USA :**_

 **Thanks, bro. Always love the positivity.**

 _ **Turtya :**_

 **Glad you're enjoying it, bro. And don't worry, Jaune will start being active in his life soon enough.**

 _ **Emperor King Perby :**_

 **But prisoners are fun for…. Stuff.**


	37. Siege of Castle Fort : Part Three : Down

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 **SleeplessShippings**

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 _ **If you want your name on the lists of my stories and videos, head over to P a t. R e . o n and search for the Temple Walkers. Just let us know you're from Fanfiction, alright? There's a thousand of you, so a dollar a piece would really add up and help me a lot! Once I reach five hundred Supporters of any value over a dollar, I will make a concerted effort to put out a chapter of something once every three days at the very slowest. All Supporters get say in replacement Fics and LP's, as well as other things like fanart exclusives and the like.**_

 _ **I hope you enjoy the chapter and, as always, drop a Review, a follow, and subscribe to our other platforms for more, or become a Supporter to support us more directly. We'll be getting a house soon, so extra money can help a lot! Review responses at the bottom, by the way.**_

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Jaune turned angry, red eyes on the Atlesian, and the large Faunus man sighed, "I told you to leave, now she's dead or dying. I am not to blame for your foolishness and failing." He nodded at him meaningfully and looked at the downed woman, "She took the blow for you, though. Will you waste it and attack me anyways? Will you really make her loss meaningless entirely? Because I can't back down, you must understand that." " _Please back down, I hate killing children."_

Jaune didn't, couldn't, say anything. Staring the man down with angry, red eyes, and sword trembling in his hands. He turned to look at Cinder, and felt the woman's nervousness, less for Jaune himself and more for herself, probably about what could happen if she had to report Jaune's death to Salem on literally their first mission. And a mere trial mission at that. He couldn't read the Queen to know how she thought for certain, but _nice people_ didn't rule over the Grimm.

Turning back, he looked at the man and hefted his sword in his hand, the weapon trembling and his armor clinking up his arm at the motion. He could count the number of people he trusted implicitly right then, in that moment, on one hand and still not lose the grip on his shield. Neo, Mii and, to an extent Roman. And this Atlesian son-of-a-bitch had probably just killed one of them, while she was trying to protect him like she always was. The Atlesian shook his head, muttering something to himself and hefting his axe in both hands.

"Fine, kid. Perhaps it's just bad luck. Hopefully you have a better next life." _Like the girl, thought I somehow doubt it."_ He said, voice echoing hollowly under his helmet while he lumbered forward. "I won't even leave your heads on the wall for too long." " _Well, maybe hers, given what she did to my men."_

An image flashed across his eyes from the Atlesian of Neo, her body left in a pile at the forest's edge and her pink eyes staring out from atop the wall, a spike buried into her neck, with a crow cawing nearby. Feeling his blood boil, he felt something new blossom inside him, deep in his chest. A sick feeling, churning inside him and twisting his stomach up from the inside violently. He was going to kill this man, not because he had to or needed to for some greater reason or purpose.

He _wanted_ to kill him, for what he already did and intended to do to Neo.

He felt something else burn through him in parallel, like when his Aura had first awoken in the forest so long ago. Sparking down his arm and across his fingertips, like lightning in his blood and on his skin. Without another sound aside from a tired, almost bored, sigh the Atlesian rushed him again.

Angling his axe down, he brought the axe's electrified blade up to swipe across his left side. Jaune cut it on his shield, letting the weight turn him to the side so that the axe scraped in front of him and spinning, slashing across the Atlesian's armored back. The armored man flinched away, more at the weight of the strike, and spun with a roar, swinging his axe in his off hand and letting it slide out, forcing the Arc to stagger away to avoid the weapon and flicking his hand to summon one of his invisible walls behind Jaune.

The young blonde slammed into it, raising his shield to black a swing aimed at his left shoulder and stabbing forward at the Faunus' face. He ducked, letting the blade scrape along the side of his helmet and jerking his head to the side to force it away. Using his off hand, he leveraged the long handle of his weapon up, slamming it into Jaune's head and raising a boot to push him back. The blonde grunted when he hit the barrier, starting to push off it when the man released it, causing him to flail in the air and fall in a heap.

The Atlesian hefted his axe overhead, Jaune rolling away when he sensed the attack and stumbling to his feet a couple feet away before rushing in and throwing himself bodily at the large Faunus' side, shield pressed against his chest. The Faunus swore, raising a hand to catch him and slow his charge, and Jaune rolled around the weight, swinging at his head on the other side after he danced around his back.

His blade bit into the horns on the sides of his head, and Jaune yanked down, ripping away the bottom half of his right orn while the Atlesian snarled, staggering away with a hand on his horn. "You son-of-a-bitch, you cut my horn!" " _It takes months to grow these out. Shit!"_ "I'll gut you and then hand your bitch of a friend to my medic. She might know something, and our interrogators need live subjects!"

Jaune didn't rise to the bait or let himself react to the pain or rage he felt radiate out from the man, simply raising his shield and glaring at his opponent, sword held close to his side behind his shield to brace it if he needed to. The Faunus continued to hurl threats for a moment while Jaune waited patiently, sparing a glance at Neo's form on the ground behind him worriedly. Cinder and the White Fang couldn't afford to try and get her, they'd be cut down before they could get close. And Emerald had to stay with Cinder inside the entrance, crouched in front of her like a human shield where she'd collapsed in case she needed protection from an enemy with a brain. He just needed to wait, Mercury would be back soon and he could help him.

With an angry roar, the Faunus rushed at him with his axe in both hands, held over his right shoulder with the flat parallel to his head. Jaune side-stepped the heavy downward swing, stabbing in with Crocea Mors' long blade at his throat. The man ignored the useless attack, yanking his axe from the stone and swinging at Jaune's side. The blonde couldn't dodge at that range, even with the few seconds of warning he had, but he did manage to get his blade between the axe and his side. It still forced him back, but he managed to deflect it up and away from himself before lunging in, basing his shield-rim against the Faunus' helmet.

He felt the Atlesian's surprise and pain, returning to his resting stance from before while he staggered away with a hand on his helmet. A small line of blood dribbled out of his helmet where his nose would be, the cracked glass of his visor telling Jaune he'd broken his nose. Yanking the flats out of the side of his helmet quickly, he yanked it off his head and threw the ruined thing aside so he could see.

He was pale was Jaune's first realization, skin almost as pale as he remembered Weiss'. A hard, handsome face - minus the crooked, clearly broken nose - with dark hair and blue eyes glaring at him. He raised his off hand and touched it to his nose tenderly, wincing, "You broke my fucking nose too, you damn terrorist."

"And you hit my girlfriend in the back with an axe." Jaune growled, grip tightening on his sword. "But don't worry, it won't hurt for long."

The man grimaced, returning his hand to his axe and shaking his head. "I've been holding back, terrorist, because I don't like hurting kids that probably don't know what they've gotten themselves into. Tell me, why are you even _with_ the White Fang?" " _You don't look like a Faunus as far as I can tell."_ Jaune didn't answer, and the man sighed and raised his axe again, "Fine, play the silent game. I don't have any more patience for you, and you clearly won't yield, so unfortunately I'll have to put you down. Accept my apologies in the next life."

He rushed in and decided on a change of attack, spinning the weapon in his hands in rapid strikes instead of the heavier ones he'd been using. Jaune raised his shield and braced it, the weapon sparking against his shield rapidly and forcing the Arc knight back. On the last strike, he spun it towards his legs instead, and Jaune leapt up and over the attack. The Atlesian flicked his hand out, summoning a wall under Jaune when he landed and making him collapse at the ground suddenly under him. Letting it vanish, the Arc landed on his knees heavily and Walter slammed a boot into his head before he could react, throwing him to his back.

The Atlesian raised his axe over his right shoulder in both hands, aiming the blade at his head on a mighty swing that Jaune knew from the Faunus' intentions would break his neck. He managed to get his shield up, deflecting the attack over him, and Walter sighed. Taking his boot of Jaune's chest, he kicked the shield aside and slammed his heavy boot into Jaune's elbow. Once, twice, three times until the blunt force broke the joint. He stabbed in at the man, the Atlesian's Aura sparking weakly, close to failing but still preventing the attack from doing any damage.

He raised the axe again, turning and blinking in surprise before staggering away, turmoil roiling in his mind, "E-Ella? What are you doing here, Ella? It's dangerous, you should go lie down. How did the doctor not keep you from coming here?"

Jaune scrabbled away weakly, cradling his arm, "Get moving, Jaune, I can't hold him forever." He blinked in surprise at Emerald, fingers pressed against the side of her head, and eyes glaring at him, "Hurry, move your ass so I can deal with him!" " _And preferably before someone notices Cinder and shoots her."_

He looked at the man, wincing as conflicting images of their surroundings started to filter into his mind and turning away, crawling away from the duo and towards Neo, stopping halfway.

Nodding when he was far enough away, she raised her handguns and opened fire. The Atlesian grunted as the rounds peppered him, several penetrating before he knew what was happening and could raise his Aura. " _A Semblance."_ Jaune sensed the man deduce, sinking to his knees when a round ripped through it, " _Gods, Brothers and Dust damn it!"_

Flicking his hand, a wall appeared in front of him before anything worse could happen, and he staggered upright in spite of the hole in his leg and the scars of the other bullets having ricocheted away leaving black and white streaks across his body and limbs. Rising, he flicked his hand again, a wall appearing in Emerald's way at an angle while she tried to strafe to the side to get a better shot at him.

She shouted in surprise as she fell and Walter rose, rushing towards her. Jaune did the same, broken arm hanging limply at his side, slamming into the Faunus' side with and surprising him. He staggered to the side and snarled, wrapping an arm around him and yanking on his wounded arm's shoulder. Jaune ignored the flair of pain, pressing the point of his blade to the man's back, at the joint between his armored shoulder and back.

Pushing as hard as he could, he felt first surprise and then pain shoot through the man as he sank the sword's tip a few inches into Walter's side before he could force the boy back. The duo staggered apart, collapsing a few feet apart while Emerald scrambled to her feet and put another burst into his chest from each of her pistols.

Most ricocheted as he tried to rise, Crocea Mors still embedded in his side, but two managed to dig through his throat and he collapsed. With a wet sounding sigh, he collapsed once again and didn't rise, and Jaune felt the panic of the soldiers around him slam home.

Staggering upright and almost collapsing before Emerald caught him and wrapped her arms around him to hold him up, Jaune found the strength to speak, "Your Huntsmen is dead, so give up or join him." He strode forward, or rather he limped while Emerald half-carried him, to the Faunus' body and yanked his sword free, "I can't care right now which."

Cinder stepped up beside him after a couple seconds, looking strained and tired and resting a hand on his cheek, "I'm sorry, even now I don't have enough power in me to have helped you. Take her to the ship, if she's alive then the medics outside can help you." He nodded, turning and limping away with Emerald's help while Cinder took over, smiling confidently and cocking her hip, "Now, as my compatriot said, you either surrender or face three more Huntsmen-trained combatant, including myself. And every last one of you knows what _I_ can do."

"Sit here, I'll get some men and a stretcher." Emerald said, laying him beside Neo and straightening. He grabbed her arm before she could leave, and she looked at him with a grimace, "You.. understand I had to stay with her, right?" " _Cinder is more important than anyone to me."_

"I-I can't sense her. Check before you go. Is she alive at least?" Emerald nodded and he released her, the green haired girl stepping around the fallen woman and resting a hand on her neck, feeling around.

"I have a pulse, but it's weak." She said quietly, standing and turning for the door at a run, "I'll send someone quick as I can." " _Maybe the little bitch won't die after all."_

Not sensing any deception from her, he relaxed and laid there, watching the Atlesians around him come down from their barricades and drop their weapons, if they had any. Many didn't, and some even had sidearms and nothing else, a testament to their unpreparedness. Turning to Neo, he smiled thinly and reached out to hold her hand. After a few seconds, he felt a weak - almost to nonexistence, and maybe a trick of his mind - squeeze.

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 **Short chapter and an apology for it, I've been hella busy the last week. Elsa got sick again, but she's old as dirt some t's to be expected. Been dealing with that. I thought about adding on to this, but decided against it ultimately. Why pad out a fight unnecessarily? There's been enough talking and stalling between all the parties involved. Love you guys.**


	38. Siege of Castle Fort : Finale : Medico

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 _ **Official Supporters:**_

 **SleeplessShippings**

 **Shadie**

 **Emperor King Perby**

 _ **If you want your name on the lists of my stories and videos, head over to P a t. R e . o n and search for the Temple Walkers. Just let us know you're from Fanfiction, alright? There's a thousand of you, so a dollar a piece would really add up and help me a lot! Once I reach five hundred Supporters of any value over a dollar, I will make a concerted effort to put out a chapter of something once every three days at the very slowest. All Supporters get say in replacement Fics and LP's, as well as other things like fanart exclusives and the like.**_

 _ **I hope you enjoy the chapter and, as always, drop a Review, a follow, and subscribe to our other platforms for more, or become a Supporter to support us more directly. We'll be getting a house soon, so extra money can help a lot! Review responses at the bottom, by the way.**_

 _ **Also, I am in need of an editor until my old one returns to duty. Any volunteers would be loved.**_

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"You knew." Jaune growled when he sensed Cinder join him, sitting on a chair by the door to the medical room on board the ship, eyes closed and arms crossed over his chest. He sensed her question coming and cut in before she could ask it, "You knew that there would be a Specialist there, that he'd be powerful and well-trained, to help the new soldiers learn what they needed before being deployed to full bases. I didn't notice it because you were too focused on the surface about the plans, and I didn't look into it."

"I… suspected it, yes, but didn't know for sure what kind of Specialist would be there." Cinder acknowledged, leaning against the wall and watching the armored boy closely. Anxiously, to an extent, as well. "I assure you, Jaune, I would not risk angering you. You could cause me a great deal of discomfort with our Mistress." " _And it would stay that way until I become the Maiden."_

"And what if you don't become the Maiden, then?" He asked, scowling up at the woman purposefully.

"You'd better be careful while you explain what you mean, Arc." She spoke with narrowed eyes at him, in curiosity and a threat equally, but he knew the latter was empty. "Because now is not the time or place for playing games, I assure you." " _Or threatening me."_

"Neo would be just as valuable a Maiden as you, or any of my friends in Beacon. Any one of them could easily become the Maiden with my help, and I doubt Salem really cares who the Maiden is." Smiling, he added, "In fact, I think she only cares that she _has_ the Maiden, not who that Maiden is. And if I provided even that, I wonder how my prospects would change with her?"

"You need to think before you threaten me, Jaune." Cinder growled, pushing off the wall and closing the distance to leer down at him, her hands smoldering lightly and mind racing with as many angry thoughts as worried ones. She wrapped a hand around his throat, heat warming to an uncomfortable degree. "You need to think very clearly, and very hard, about whether or not you want to threaten me. I got you where you are, even if you hate the how of it. Don't think you can try to destroy me." " _Burn me, and we both will end in ashes."_

"Next time, you should think about that yourself." He growled back, standing and forcing her back, their faces close enough that their breath brushed the other from their noses. "Neo almost died out there, and is probably going to be in bed for a long time healing, because of you. And you still haven't recovered your Aura fully, even if you have your Maiden powers back."

"And? I could crush you without them as easily as with them." She smiled, bright eyes gleaming at him. "Do you want to try?"

"No." He grunted quietly, hand resting on Crocea Mors' handle as his stomach spun anxiously, "I won't be the one to start anything, Cinder. Salem will know, if you come after me, that you started the fight that follows."

Smiling, she stepped back and cocked her head to the side. "I must admit, I'm surprised." " _And impressed."_ "I hadn't thought you would have the gall to threaten me, or the brains to back it up."

"Put the people I care about in danger again and you'll see exactly what I have the gall for, Cinder." He growled, scowling at her smiling face.

She rested a hand against his cheek, smiling teasingly at him and stroking his cheek with a thumb, "Feel free to visit me, if Neo can no longer satisfy in her condition." Grasping his chin, she leaned closer, golden eyes glowing, "But if you threaten me again, I will make you suffer." " _Whether I can hurt you physically or not."_

"As though I'd ever get near you." He jerked away with a scoff, and she chuckled with a shrug of her shoulders, turning and striding away, and Jaune glared as she went before relaxing into his chair. Resting his head in his hands, he muttered, "Damn witch."

After a few minutes to calm down, he stood and knocked on the door. The doctor inside, a warm voiced, thing Faunus with rabbit ears and brown hair and eyes, openmed the door after a few seconds with a small smile. She was a doctor, yes, but she wore mostly a White Fang uniform, her mask hanging on her waist comfortably. "I heard what you said to her." " _Hard not to, the door is thin."_ "You really think she knew this would happen?"

"Yeah." He answered, shaking his head and sighing. "I can't explain why, but when I accuse someone of having an ulterior motive, you can believe it. I have my ways of knowing."

"It's not my place to argue. I'm not involved with any of it." " _And really don't want to be. People like her are dangerous."_ She shrugged, smiling at him calmly. And she was right, even as a doctor on board a ship manned by terrorists, dealing with people like Cinder and Salem was far more dangerous than anything she was ready for.

"So, um, how is Neo doing?" He asked nervously, the woman's face falling instantly at the question and anxiety spiking. Was she afraid of him? He couldn't ask, the questions of how he knew would be problems that he didn't have the time to deal with. "Is she, you know… Okay?"

"Come inside." She ordered quietly, turning and going into the room with Jaune on her heel, the knight pulling the door shut behind him quietly as he entered.

The medical room was more of a repurposed dormitory room, one of dozens of other converted rooms on this level. Normally these rooms were large enough for two bunk-beds, but in this format they functioned as private rooms for important wounded individuals. But the White Fang was still short on supplies so, even if they'd been able to convince them to accept the frigates as 'donations from supporters' a full medical suite couldn't be afforded. The people in charge would start demanding to know who they were working with, terrorists being a not so surprisingly paranoid bunch.

Instead, a clean cot, i.v. and a physical monitor the size of a television sat to either side of the head of the bed. In the bed Jaune could see Neo, sleeping soundly with bandages wrapped up around her neck and probably across her torso a swell. Her face was pale and her hair looked almost washed out, and she was almost swaddled in the blankets, only her right arm - bandages wrapped snugly around her upper arm and arm pale, an i.v. in the crook of her elbow being the reason for the arm to be left out - was left outside of the blanket, and he worried for a moment she was cold. He walked to the side of the bed wit the i.v., looking down at her pale face and reaching down to touch her bare arm, content at feeling her pulse running through her small shoulder. The doctor waited on the other side, watching him with a sedated sort of patience he suspected many doctors perfected in a class at college.

He eased into a small metal folding chair next to the bed, sliding his hand down to hold the girl's hand and looking to the doctor, "How bad is she?"

"The axe did severe damage, I'm afraid. Her Aura failed entirely prior to taking the strike, so the full force of the weaponry was brought to bear." She sighed and turned to her console, pressing buttons on the screen to recall information as she spoke. "Luckily, we were able to recover the weapon, so I know a bit more about the kind of damage it ought to do. The obvious, of course, is the amount of blood she lost."

"The cut looked bad, yeah." He agreed, shaking his head and giving her hand a comfortable squeeze and rubbing his thumb across the top of her hand in a weak and likely vain effort to warm her a bit. "I couldn't react in time, and when he hit her…" He looked up at the doctor, grimacing. She must hear this kind of story all the time, given where and what she did. "There was a lot of blood when she went down, you know?"

"I could tell, yeah." She said, her voice sounding surprisingly calm. "But it wasn't much of a cut, really." His brows furrowed in curiosity, and she continued. "The weapon was blunted and while a small edge conducted the charge from it, it wasn't very large. Which means it can't cut as effectively. Instead it made a much more… Well, almost surgical cut, really." " _Crass and improper as it is to call it that…"_

"Instead, the charge conducted through her body and the skin and flesh there, well… Detonated, in a manner of speaking. Further, the electrical charge burned most of her back almost brown, and the nerves along her spine are heavily damaged. Her shoulders and neck as well. The i.v. is as much for fluids as it is to keep her unconscious, to treat the electrical damage we… Had to operate on the damaged tissue." " _And cut it away, the poor girl. But he might vomit if I tell him that."_

He gagged at the thought, forcibly pushing away the images she recalled, and she smiled sympathetically at him and gestured at the can next to him, "I… won't judge." " _Even if I had the gall to insult you."_

"I-I'm okay…" He sighed, looking at the woman on the bed with a hard line to his lips. She tensed, mentally at least, because he could sense that she knew what he was going to ask. "Will she…You know…. Recover?"

"Yes, eventually, though… She'll never be as dextrous as she was, the nerve damage to her spine is mild but will do that much." She smiled at him and he sensed her honest sympathy and regret rolling off her in waves. "She'll be able to move, even fight to an extent," " _If less effectively."_ "but she will never be capable of the dexterity she once showed, and even that is a long process."

"What's the first step then?" He asked lowly, thumb rubbing her cool hand slowly to remind himself she was there. The woman grimaced, doubt rolling off of her and Jaune grew more anxious, "Doctor, what do we need to do?"

"Honestly?" She asked, tossing her hands out to the sides with frustration Jaune could see etched into her mind and face equally. "I… I don't know. The damage is severe, too severe for me to do much more, assuming her back doesn't develop an infection. Or the rest of her torso, for that matter, after the surgery. I'm just not trained well enough for this sort of damage." " _And I'm the best the White Fang have."_ "I want to help, I just…"

"Would Atlas be able to help?" He asked quietly, the doctor swallowing nervously and nodding. Looking at Neo he sighed and stood, leaning down to kiss her too-warm forehead affectionately before standing and looking at the doctor with icy blue eyes that froze her to the core, "Keep her alive and keep her healthy. The rest I will handle on my own."

"S-Sure." " _That's dramatic of him. My job is to keep her alive after all"_ "I'll keep her taken care of, there aren't many in the higher ranks who got wounded taking the castle." After a hesitant second she leaned closer, voice falling to a whisper, "And don't think the White Fang here haven't seen that you've been protecting us." " _Human or not, one good turn deserves another."_

"I'll keep that in mind." He said, turning and heading for the door.

Pulling it shut behind him, he started making his way through the mostly empty halls to the bottom of the ship, where the officers were being held until the White Fang finished looting the castle of supplies and weapons. Finding where the imprisoned officers was easy, he just had to follow the fearful dread, and no one asked what he was doing anyways. The White Fang simply ignored him, for the most part, aside from a few curt nods to acknowledge his presence.

A temporary 'prison' of sorts, the White Fang had stacked up empty crates two crates wide into a sort of wall, with the entrances against the walls or each other, and stationed two droids at the entrance, an area a few feet across. They didn't even acknowledge him as he stepped in, and the unarmored and frightened officers turned to him. Looking around, he eventually found who he was looking for and made his way towards them.

The woman Neo had spared, when she teleported into Castle Fort. She looked up at him, face dirty and clothes torn from the White Fang's… rough treatment of their temporary prisoners, and in the strongest voice she could manage asked, "W-What do you want?" " _I don't recognize you… A Human? Why?"_

Behind him, he could sense the trepidation and anxiety of the men and women trapped there, around three dozen. All fresh, even if they were officers. All afraid. He realized he could do anything then, to this woman who was as afraid of him as he felt she would have been if a Beowolf had walked in, and they wouldn't try to stop him. They wouldn't even lift a finger to help her. The state of their clothes made him worry for a moment, but he put that aside. He didn't have time for it.

"Neo could have killed you, but she let you live instead." The girl flinched at the memory, recoiling away from him and shrinking into herself warily. "She's… Different, yeah, I know. But she's trying, for me. That is the reason she let you live." Hating himself, feeling sick at the act, he knelt and leaned in close, eyes narrowing at her, "Normally, she'd have killed you as painfully as she could."

She shrank away, against the smooth white metal of the Atlesian container, and he forced himself not to flinch at how frightened she was. " _He knows that girl! Dust, is he going to give me to her? No!"_ "W-What do you want? Why are you here? You won, just leave us alone, please! Don't hurt me!"

Sighing, he closed his eyes, focusing on hi Aura and his Semblance. He could feel the lightning arcing across him, like when you touched a light-socket with gloves on. Dull, tingling, but oddly nice in a way. It started at the base of his skull, crackling invisibly across his chest and shoulders and down his arms to his fingertips.

Opening his blue eyes, he looked at her panicked face, reaching out to touch a finger to her head. Speaking in a commanding tone, he said, "What I want, is your help, and for you to calm down."

And she did. He could feel it, both as an echo and from the connection he;d forged, like lightning with a conduit. Her breathing steadied, her thoughts eased out and levelled, and when she opened her eyes they had their shine back. "What do you need?"

Pulling his hand back, he smiled. "I need you to get a message to Winter Schnee or General Ironwood. Let them know I'm headed to Mountain Glenn, and need help." She nodded and he rose, turning to the others, "I'm sorry for what I had to do, I swear. I.. didn't want to."

Walking away, he tried to contain his anxiety, and surprise. Holding up a hand as he walked, he felt his heart pounding in his chest. He'd commanded that woman, _controlled_ her, and she'd responded. How twisted was his Semblance going to be in the end?

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 **This is the finale for this set, so I'll return to normal after this. And normal length as well. Sorry for the shortness, getting ready for holidays is a pain in the ass where I work. Holidays mean extra orders, which means extra freight to move, which means longer hours. Not that they fuckin' told me~**

 **Oh well. Hope you enjoyed.**


	39. The Next Stage

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 _ **Official Supporters:**_

 **SleeplessShippings**

 **Shadie**

 **Emperor King Perby**

 _ **If you want your name on the lists of my stories and videos, head over to P a t. R e . o n and search for the Temple Walkers. Just let us know you're from Fanfiction, alright? There's a thousand of you, so a dollar a piece would really add up and help me a lot! Once I reach five hundred Supporters of any value over a dollar, I will make a concerted effort to put out a chapter of something once every three days at the very slowest. All Supporters get say in replacement Fics and LP's, as well as other things like fanart exclusives and the like.**_

 _ **I hope you enjoy the chapter and, as always, drop a Review, a follow, and subscribe to our other platforms for more, or become a Supporter to support us more directly. We'll be getting a house soon, so extra money can help a lot! Review responses at the bottom, by the way.**_

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 _ **So marking and starting in this chapter, we're back to the old format. Honestly? I didn't like doing only one POV. It was constraining, annoyingly so, for this story that never had such a limitation before. Just not the format this story was designed for, but input will be appreciated on that opinion. ~ Twisted**_

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"What," Blake started quietly, and tensely, having finally pinned Adam in a hallway alone. Enough so that Adam flinched in the dark hallway of their Mountain Glenn hideout. "is 'Operation Breach' exactly, Adam? You have a _lot_ of Dust down there."

"It's… Cinder, that Human woman who was there when we rescued you? It's part of her plan." Adam admitted after a few long seconds, sighing when she raised an eyebrow expectantly and crossed her arms under her chest. "Train lines run underground, from Mountain Glenn to the center of Vale's industrial district. Plan is, we blow a hole in Vale, let the Grimm rampage for a bit."

"You're going to let the Grimm rampage in the city?" She demanded, warm and angry amber eyes smoldering furiously in the gloom of the hallway. "Adam, that's insane, you can't just-"

"Blake, calm down." He said quickly, grabbing her shoulders and pushing her against the wall, staring her down for a few seconds until she took a breath and leaned away from him, raising a leg to let her foot press against the stone wall comfortably. Adam took a breath and stepped back before continuing, "It's planned for the Grimm to be wiped out. Between Atlas and the Huntsmen there, they won't be able to get anywhere or do any real damage. That's the _plan_ , Blake."

"So…" Blake paused to think for several long seconds, "Your entire plan, is an attack that fails?"

"Yes." Adam grunted wearily, turning and continuing his walk through the halls, "The attack needs to go forward now, to stay on schedule. While the patrol fleet should still be in Vale and be able to help, and it's still late enough in the day for the factories to be empty, before the next shift moves in."

She followed him through the halls, the two coming out on a large, open area, White Fang soldiers below were loading crates onto a train and pilots were moving Paladins off of it, both towards the direction of Roman. The massive machines lumbering around to a storage area set a few dozen yards away, under Blake and Adam's building. She leaned on the solid, fence-like stone railing, watching them move about below. Smiling slightly, he joined her, leaning against the stone close enough that their arms touched.

"You know this will only make things harder on the Faunus, Adam." She sighed, turning her head just enough to look at his mask, ears flicking at the sounds below. "Right?"

"For now, yes. But soon? Soon the Humans won't be blaming anyone, for anything, and the Faunus will get what we deserve." He smiled wider, and Blake shuddered at it. He noticed, turning to look at her with a sigh, "Soon, the violence won't be necessary at all, Blake. Faunus will have their rightful place in the world, and the Humans will know it."

"And what is that 'place' exactly, Adam?" Blake asked quietly, the bull Faunus turning away from her with a huff. She grabbed his arm with both hands, staring up at him steadily, "What is their place, Adam?"

"Where was ours in their world, Blake?" He growled, slamming a fist into the stone hard enough to crack it and drive his fist into the edge. "Theirs then will be ours now, because that is justice. They should just hope we're kinder rulers than they were."

"That's revenge, not justice. And that's oppression, not equality." Blake argued, shaking her head and turning to walk towards the ladder at the edge of the roof. She stopped at the top of it, turning to look at the man with those same glowing, furious yellow eyes. "I fight for equality for everyone, and justice for all. What the hell do you fight for?"

He watched her climb down before sighing, tearing his hand out of the stone and shaking the dirt off his knuckles idly. Turning to look down and watch her move to join Roman, he muttered, "For a world you can live in, Blake."

"Roman." Blake grunted, joining the man in the center of his ordered chaos. "Everything going as planned?"

He turned at the question and the meaning behind it, smiling confidently after a second and turning back around and talking quietly, "Yep! All according to plan, Blake. Just hang in there, and make sure you have a ride into town when crap hits the fan."

Looking around warily, and trying not to look like she was doing that in _any way_ , Blake narrowed her eyes. "I will, if I can find one in time. What about you?" She asked in concern, and Gods if she wasn't surprised about feeling _that_ about _Roman_ of all people in the world. "How are you going to get there?"

"Not gonna, for a bit." He grunted back, pausing when a few of the White Fang soldiers passed too close for his liking. "I have to wait on Neo, and the kid too I guess. Can't leave her, and she won't leave him behind, so in a rough spot." He sighs, scratching at the back of his head, "Oh well, used to that at least, so don't stress it."

"Do you know when the train is supposed to… Well, you know." She sighed and gestured at a crate, the explosives showing through the top a bit.

"Ah. Tomorrow around noon, last I heard." He smiled, turning and looking at a few Faunus down the line with a solemn expression, tipping his hat with a long finger from his off hand and stepping up beside her, turning his back to Adam on the ledge behind them while Blake watched the man in question with forced apathy, "Be careful, kid. Okay? When you make your move, make sure you're sure of what you're doing. Because the shit _I_ know that's out there is fucked up, and I don't know it all."

"I know what I'm doing, Roman." She growled, eyes narrowing dangerously at the taller man. "I'm not some scared child that doesn't know any better."

"No, you don't, kid." He said dismissively, shrugging when she turned and scowled at him more fully. Chuckling, he sighed and gave her shoulder a pat as he turned, "Neither do I and if it weren't for Neo, I'd be gone already, off hidin' somewhere. As is?" He sighed, shrugging nonchalantly and stepping past her, "Dunno, but probably gonna die."

She blinked, watching the man stroll away like he didn't have a care in the world. After he rounded a corner, she sighed, "Crazy Humans." Turning, she spotted a man messing with the explosives and raised her voice, "Hey, watch what you're doing! You want to blow us through the roof?"

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Ozpin sighed, pacing side to side on the balcony of his office, Glynda watching him from inside, wary of being spotted still given her supposed injuries. She watched him, sighing eventually, "You're upset."

"A touch, yes." He admitted quietly, the cool morning air blowing up from below and ruffling his clothes, "Between James' lack of trust for anything I have to say, Miss Nikos' instability as of late, and what is left of RWBY's own antics of late, I am a touch irritated."

"Understandable." Glynda conceded quietly, leaning against the frame of the balcony with a small smile. "James is… coming around, however, and within the next few days we have operations planned to solve the other issues as well."

"I know." He said, sighing and picking his mug up from the balcony's railing, "It is merely a… frustrating time, I suppose, for me. I've truly never been good at waiting through the last day or so before something important like this."

Hearing her Scroll chime quietly, Glynda fished it out of her breast pocket, smiling thinly when she saw it was a message from James. Seeing her smile, Ozpin approached, and she read it off, "His fleet is moving the Branwen Tribe and their items right now, and he's got a few patrol frigates and a destroyer stationed near Vale in case something happens." Sighing, she continued, "He… Also has reports that a fortress to Vale's north has stopped their routine check-ins without reporting a cause. He… is concerned about a possible Grimm problem, or the White Fang, and requires your input."

"Find out if he can make a video call." Ozpin ordered, stepping past her into his office. She nodded, sending the message while he made his way to his desk and pressed a button, heavy curtains unfurling from the roof and covering the windows around him to prevent glare. When Glynda nodded, he pressed another button to lower a screen and started the call. James' face appeared a moment later, the dull grey of his office around him broken by a shelving unit and a cock, and Ozpin smiled politely. "James, I hear you've had some sort of problem?"

"I'm not in the mood for pleasantries or games, Ozpin." The general grunted roughly, sighing and sending a static sound across the line, "Castle Fort has failed to make any check-ins on schedule, and worse, they aren't responding to direct hails."

"Is it possible that they are suffering from an equipment malfunction?" Glynda asked politely, stepping around so that she was behind Ozpin's chair and fully in James' sight. The general's eyes softened slightly, and she smiled, "Hello, James."

"Glynda." He greeted, nodding his head slightly before continuing, "No, Atlesian fortresses like that have multiple things they should be doing if they suffer a severe enough malfunction to make this happen. Not the least of which is sending one of their light flyers to another base nearby, of which there are a couple within range, to notify us of their situation."

"And no fliers have been reported, I assume." Ozpin added, sighing and stroking his chin worriedly.

"Actually, several have. A small, civilian transport fleet has been reported in the area, including a light frigate by appearances." James said quickly, turning to search for a folder with the information in his drawer. "Older models, by a small margin, but still. It's-"

"Tell your men to send some ships now, your castle is likely under attack or already taken." Ozpin growled, steepling his fingers in front of himself on the table. "Salem has done this often enough, using mercenaries, malcontents… terrorists, all to achieve her ends."

"The… White Fang, you mean?" James asked after a second, the older man nodding. "How would they afford an Atlesian frigate? How would they-"

"Salem has amassed as much of a fortune as I have, James, and as much influence among those too weak willed to oppose her. Or uninformed of her, I suppose." Ozpin cut in, the general nodding and sighing again, this time angrily. "Employing these to assault a fortress is odd, but not unheard of. She must have some goal in mind to do such a thing as this, some goal this would facilitate."

"Perhaps she doesn't want the Vytal Festival to go forward?" Glynda suggested, Ozpin humming in response, and a request that she continue. "If Atlas were to fear something greater, they may withdraw from the Festival, or even just stall it until a later date. The ramifications would be dire no matter what."

"It would make sense." James agreed, nodding with a grave look, his brows furrowed and eyes hard. "The Vytal Festival is important to politics and Kingdom relations around Remnant, so interrupting it would be quite useful indeed for the Queen of the Grimm. Sowing chaos would be part of her strategy, surely."

"Indeed." Ozpin agreed, looking at James and taking a long breath, "We must ensure that the Vytal Festival goes forward, no matter what may come. Until we find out what in the Brother's name Salem is up to."

"Agreed." James grunted, working his jaw for a few moments before speaking again. "Oz, about what we talked about a few days ago…" He let out a tired breath, running a hand through his hair agitatedly. "I… This isn't an apology, per se, I think I was right to react the way I did, I think."

"I would agree, James." Ozpin responded, smiling thinly, "Were I in your position, I'd have likely reacted the same way. What matters now is that we move forward in spite of that… event, and its confusion." The general nodded, and Ozpin smiled more widely, "Now, send men to that fortress. Find out what is happening."

"Already done. When will you be departing with Nikos and the others?" He asked gruffly, awkwardly shifting the subject to try and get rid of the awkwardness that he felt. "I understand they were… 'unhappy' that the operation had to be stalled?"

"Indeed, though they accepted the reasoning rather easily. We need your fleet's support, after all. Attacking Mountain Glenn would be almost worse than useless without a fleet, and your soldiers and drones of course, to deal with the Grimm such would bring." Ozpin said simply, shrugging at the question. "Not to mention prisoners, of course, as I won't be ordering them to simply execute every member of the White Fang they happen to meet along the way to Miss Belladonna."

"Which is another matter to be discussed." Glynda interrupted smoothly, "What will your soldiers be told about her? I won't accept her being placed in mortal peril, you understand, James."

"My soldiers will be briefed on her and ordered to recognize her as friendly and undercover, Glynda. I'm deploying mainly special forces under my direct command, so it should be of little concern that they obey my command. She could threaten them with a bomb strapped around her waist, and they'd defer to my brief." James explained, smiling proudly at the mention of his soldiers. "Atlesian discipline is among the finest in the world, I assure you. They'll do as commanded."

"Very well." Ozpin conceded, chuckling to himself and shaking his head. "When will you be arriving, or shall we meet at Mountain Glenn itself?"

"A rendevouz would be best." Ozpin answered quickly, bringing up a map that was shared across the connection, pointing to a mountain overlooking Mountain Glenn and Vale alike, "Here. We can meet up, and land on Mountain Glenn's surface before heading underground. The Grimm presence on top of the structure will be severe, but nothing like the Goliaths and worse nearby."

"Nothing we can't handle then, I'm sure." James dismissed with a confident smile, turning his head until his neck popped quietly. "But I must go, I'm afraid. I have a few matters to settle and will be departing in my flagship while my fleet moves the Branwen Tribe over to come meet with you and your own… forces."

"I understand." Ozpin said quietly, ending the call after the man nodded respectfully. Turning to Glynda, he smiled coyly, "I wonder how you swayed him so much, Glynda." She gave his arm a playful, and mildly annoyed, slap and he chuckled brightly.

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Salem smiled at Cinder's report, sipping wine calmly out of a goblet and relaxing languidly in a chair in front of a window that gave her a spectacular view of the land sprawling away from her castle, Goliaths marching alone at random and, in the distance far enough to be scarcely visible, a great Grimm dragon named Turok soared through the skies, circling to the far north where he almost exclusively dwelt. The land nearest her castle was broken and cracked, dark red stone shattered in places where her Grimm spawned and nested, but beyond that, great, green trees spread in every direction until it reached her continent's north-eastern most shores where thick mist coiled, thick enough that she didn't need to worry about being seen by Atlesian ships. Turok made short work of any who would breach that barrier, and the mist was electrified so communications never reached home.

A perfect defense from prying eyes.

"The little whore won't be able to move as well, when she finally recovers. Which I am told will take some time yet before that occurs, and even longer before she can even move." Smiling on the other end of the video call, Cinder added, "Watts' informant served us well indeed."

"And is Jaune suspicious? Has he realized the particular nature of your chosen venue for his first outing?" The Grimm Queen asked, taking a long sip from her silvered goblet. "If he is, we shall have a great issue."

"No, my Mistress, he has his suspicions, but I managed to sway him away from the truth." Chuckling darkly, the Maiden shook her head on the other end of the call. "He relies on his ability being far more accurate than it is, and far harder to manipulate. Tricking him merely requires clever wordplay and direction, as you told me."

"I would know, after all." The Queen chuckled, turning so that her legs hung over the arm of her chair and her head rested on the pillow atop the other, sighing contentedly. "You must tread carefully, however. He could still pick up on the deception if you aren't careful of the topics at hand and your own thoughts."

"A challenge, Mistress, but not one I will fail." Cinder inclined her head reverently, eyes closing in a sign of difference. "I swear it."

"See that it doesn't. I would hate to have to punish you, after all." Titling her goblet, she amused herself at the way it sloshed back and forth as she continued. ""Truly, a Maiden doesn't need to _speak_ necessarily, even if it is convenient. So I would dislike having to carve out your tongue for speaking a lie when you swear to me such."

"It won't be needed." Cinder assured her nervously, "Is there anything else you require, Mistress?"

"The fact that the girl lives is… Problematic. Are you sure there is no way to have her killed?" Cinder shook her head, and the Queen sighed morosely. "A pity, replacing a dead girl is so much easier. Especially for one as virtuous as him, tempting him away from her won't be as easy as I would like."

"Indeed. Unfortunately, for now, Jaune is on his guard too heavily for her to be killed." She sighed, grimacing. "I could attempt to poison her, but anyone entering the room aside from the doctor herself poses a risk. And I see few ways to coerce her, she takes her sole seriously, and Jaune's blasted heroics have secured him some grudging respect from the White Fang's less extreme members. Which are surprisingly numerous, considering where I am."

"Indeed." Salem groused, groaning and rolling her head. "That he has advanced so far is an issue. Tell me, can he yet sense nonliving things?"

"I do not know, Mistress." Cinder answered, swallowing nervously at even that much of a failing. "I shall ask, if you wish it, I am sure I can come up with an excuse of some kind for wanting to know. A mission, perhaps, that might come up soon enough."

"No. Better to be safe than sorry, in that regard." Drumming her fingers on the goblet's rim she smiled, turning to the young Maiden's visage on the screen with a glint to her eyes. "Kill her before you return to me, Cinder. I leave the how of it to you, so long as you are not discovered in any way."

"Of course, Mistress." Cinder nodded, ending the call.

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 **Oh my fucking GOD I am glad to not be writing one chapter, with one person's point of view alone! This was so much easier on me. *sighs* Anyways, I won't dwell on that. I wanted to try my hardest to get this out prior to the New Year. I'm genuinely glad to be back to this style for this story, but if you all prefer, I won't use it again for any other stories. I understand the protests to it. No Jaune section in this either, as this is the same day as the attack. ~Twisted**

 **How's it going guys. This is Voltegeist and I'm going to be Twisted's new beta until his old one comes back from whatever he's doing**

 **Peace, Love, and Unicorns,**

 **Voltegeist**

 **Hope you all enjoyed~ Review Responses below.**

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 _ **Janed12000 :**_

 **Tis a loss, truly and utterly, yes. She'll likely never be the same. Ever. Hence the loss of it. Everyone is, after all, at risk in any story of mine.**

 _ **ScottUSA :**_

 **Yeah, kind of kept dragging, which SUCKED. I hated the loss of the format I had been using, but back to normal now. Lol. As to your earlier question, I… find it hard to detail how far into the story I am in general, aside from content-wise. In which I'd say… I dunno, seventy-ish percent? And yeah, trying to take it nice and slow, no sudden EXPLOSIONS of progression.**

 _ **DuplicateUserName :**_

 **Glad you enjoyed the trip! And yeah, working on wrapping up this and moving back to the 'right' side. Or as close as we may get here. You'll see what I mean. Also, Salem dislikes being called boring and has tentacle monsters, please don't upset her my butt is sore now.**

 _ **Agent Draakis :**_

 **Wasn't touched on much before, the best you'll see is a hint he has** _ **other**_ **abilities in general. No specifics were ever shown, on purpose by the by.**

 _ **Abbadon Cross :**_

 **Hiss hiss!**

 _ **Arukon :**_

 **Why yes. Quite odd indeed, now isn't it, for a man to be there specifically trained in fighting human adversaries, at the base Cinder chose for the first assault. Odd indeed.**


	40. Mountain Glenn Part I

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Ozpin woke early the next morning, earlier than he normally did at any rate, before the sun had even crested the horizon over the great forests and mountains that stretched on to Vale's eastern shore. At four in the morning, even most of Beacon's preparatory staff still had an hour before they'd begin their larger shifts, aside from the cooks who were already awake and preparing food for the day, as well as finishing cleaning from the night before.

This was where he was to meet most of the people accompanying him on their next venture, aside from Glynda of course, her secret had to be kept for a time yet. The head chef, a vulpine Faunus woman named Luna with a thin frame and bright eyes, came out of the kitchens when he called, looking at him with surprise, crossing her arms over her small chest and leaning against the doorframe, "You're up early, let me guess... A gallon of coffee for your heater in your office, five scrambled eggs with pepper jack for some reason, two sausage biscuits-"

"Actually, I am afraid I have to leave for today. I am meeting a collection of my colleagues and students for a special mission into Forever Fall." She raised an eyebrow at him, clearly curious why he was doing that instead of one of the teachers, and he smiled in a wide and friendly way at her, resting his palms on his cane and leaning towards her, "Strange, I know, but with Miss Goodwitch indisposed, my staff has been stretched very thin indeed. So I offered a few students a mission of my own, and some accepted both it and its conditions."

"And one of 'em is waking up at this ungodly hour?" She asked, the old man nodding with a small chuckle. "Well then, I s'pose you're wanting me to get some food together for them?"

"If you don't mind, yes. I know Miss Rose is particularly fond of sweets, so if you could manage some waffles or pancakes, that would be greatly appreciated." She nodded and he turned, heading to one of the many tables and leaning his cane against it, humming while he pulled the chairs off the top of it and set them for his students to sit on.

Sitting and waiting, it didn't take long for him to see the first person to come in the door, Pyrrha nodding politely and waving as she approached his seat. "Headmaster." She greeted crisply, taking a seat across from him, her armor scaping the metal painfully loudly in the empty room, "Is everything prepared for our.. venture?"

"Yes, Pyrrha, it is. " He answered, smiling when one of the many cooks in the kitchens came out with coffee for the two of them. "I had expected you to come with the rest of your team. Are they delayed?"

"Ren is still getting Nora up, dressed and ready, and I had little patience to wait for them." She shrugged, setting her weapons on the table beside her and reclining in the chair with her eyes closed. "So, I elected to come before them, in the hopes of finding food before we depart." Reaching out to touch the ceramic mug, she smirked, "It would seem I was correct to hope that."

"Indeed." He muttered quietly, watching her for several seconds and taking a sip from his mug before speaking. "How are your… memories doing?"

She opened her eyes to glare at him lightly, sighing after a second and taking a sip of her own drink, "They're fine, Headmaster. And I am unconcerned about them, frankly, while Jaune is yet missing. Once he is safe, I will deign to address the issue you claim I have."

"Pyrrha, you forgot where you were from." Ozpin argued quietly, the woman sighing across from him but otherwise uncaring. He turned, leaning on the table with his arms and lowering his voice, "Surely, you understand our concern. What we did has never been done before, if there is some complication with the mental stability of-"

"I am perfectly stable." She snapped, hard emerald eyes boring into his and smoldering, the edges of her eyebrows flickering with fire for a moment before she blinked. "It is not your concern what my memories hold, they are mine now. I must make them my own, regardless of what has changed within my head."

"I am simply worried for you, Miss Nikos." He said quietly, lowering his gaze to his mug with a sad and tired sigh. "I have made a great, great many mistakes in my long life. I merely fear your… condition is perhaps another one of them."

"Fret over your own concerns, not whatever conditions you worry I may have." She ended, looking past him and forcing a bright smile and a wave, "Ren, Nora, good morning. Forgive my abrupt departure, Headmaster Ozpin required me for a conversation before we depart. I forgot to mention it before I left."

"Indeed." Ozpin sighed, watching the two take a seat at the end of their long table, "I have the cooks preparing food for us as well."

"Pancakes?" Nora asked, smiling as wide and brightly as she could in her sleepy state. He nodded, and she bounced in her seat, looking at Ren, "They're making us pancakes! It's not even pancake day but we're getting pancakes!"

Chuckling, Ozpin turned when he heard more talking from the door, watching Qrow shamble in with what was left of RWBY, the team still mostly in the dark and shuffling along tiredly and aggravatedly. They all flinched when they saw the four waiting for them, the three exchanging glances until Qrow turned and tutted at them quietly, jerking his head in the table's direction to get them to keep moving.

"Qrow." He greeted, the middle-aged Huntsmen grunting and collapsing into a chair next to him. Ozpin turned to the other three, smiling politely, "And team RWBY. I trust you slept well?"

"Yeah, until Qrow opened our door and turned on the lights." Yang groused, flopping into a seat beside Ren. Ruby sat on her other side with Weiss beside her and Ozpin himself. Yang turned a hard, and tied, glare on the silver-haired man. "Why are we here, Ozpin? It's early, no one told us about this, and I didn't get to have a long shower like I need."

"Got a job, kid." Qrow started, Ozpin nodding at him to continue when he raised an eyebrow at him. "Headin' off to hit a White Fang base and pull out a couple friendlies they got squirreled away in there. They'll lead us to the third later on."

"Mister Arc." Ozpin added helpfully, the trio quickly becoming more alert at the insinuation. "You'll each be given a folder when we meet up with General Ironwood's ship later, I assure you, but this is not a topic we can discuss in the open like this."

"You'll all need to get very used to that." Qrow half-joked, chuckling to himself and letting his head roll back to stare at the ceiling. "Lots of shit you'll be doin' you can't tell anyone 'bout. Lots of shit you'll not know everythin' about either, but it's a part of the job. I can deal with it, you can too."

"Why do I feel like this is… not going to make us happy?" Weiss asked, looking first to Yang and then to the Headmaster, eyes narrowing slightly at the thought. Ozpin grimaced, and Qrow scratched at the stubble of his chin. Looking between the two, she swallowed nervously, "What… are we getting into?"

"A long, dangerous life full of fighting for the common good of people and the Kingdoms." Ozpin answered sagely, wrapping both hands around his mug in front of him and smiling warmly. "I assure you that I, and my colleagues of course, ask no more than what a Huntress or Huntsmen ought do in the line of work they've chosen."

"That's a very… political answer." Weiss returned, Yang drumming her fingers on the table and staring a hole into it. "And the thing about _political_ answers is that they often hide something."

"Correct." Ozpin said, smile falling and eyes hardening. "I would suggest you simply read the folder, however, as we can't discuss what I am not saying here. In public. It is a state secret of among the highest orders, and I won't risk myself or my staff by discussing this where they suffer a risk of overhearing us." He turned when the doors opened, several of the cooks bringing out food, and smiled, "Now let's eat, and then we need to get underway."

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Blake woke up to a quiet knocking, rolling in her cot to look at the door, Roman leaning against the frame of it with the door open inwards, left hand just now dropping from where it had been hitting the door. "/Morning, Kitty Cat, how'd you sleep?"

/"In my clothes and anxiously." She grumbled, standing and stretching, in her normal outfit as she'd claimed. Grabbing her weapon from a table by the door, she followed him into the hallway, hooking to the right towards the open area with the train, "Any changes of plan?"

"The train should be loaded by one, and will leave just after." The crook answered, shaking his head. "That damn bull actually asked for a few _volunteers_ to protect the train until it reaches its target and lets the Grimm into the city. Got a dozen of 'em too, the crazy animals and their martyr complexes."

"They're hopeful, and willing to die for what they believe." Blake countered, shaking her head with a grimace and a sigh as she followed the taller man, his hands in his pockets relaxedly as they made their way, "Not defending them, just pointing it out. There was a time and place I would have volunteered too."

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"Y **e** ah, that time being now, from what I hear about what you did." He turned his head to give her that cocky smile he always wore, but it never reached his eyes. They remained hard, green shards for the moment their eyes met, and she almost flinched at it. "A dead cat isn't useful to anyone, Blake. That's what you need to learn."

"Dying for a cause is admirable, Roman. Even if it's a wrong one, it shows a principle and willingness to fight for what you think is right." Hard amber eyes met cold green ones, and the man turned away. "You'd die for Neo, wouldn't you?"

He spun on his heel, shoving her against the wall with his arm held across her chest, almost snarling at her as he spoke, quickly and heatedly and close enough she could feel the heat of his breath tickle her nose, "Neo and I would both die for each other, because we're all we have, Kitty Cat. You have a family, friends in that stupid school of yours, and more that you need to be around for. How many of them do too?" She held his hard gaze for several seconds before she broke eye contact, looking to the side, and Roman sighed and released her. Backing a few steps away, he continued, "Look, kitty cat, I don't mind dying for something. But these guys? They _want_ to die for something and won't actually bother to check if it's worth it. Or _real_."

"Point taken." She grudgingly admitted, rubbing her off arm with her hand. "Let's… just focus on the job at hand, alright?"

"Been doin' that all my life, kitty cat." He chuckled, turning and resuming his walk.

Soon, the duo returned to the massive area in the center of Mountain Glenn, dozens of White Fang grunts grouped together by the train. She could hear them from here, talking, drinking and laughing loudly. A sending off, of sorts, for the volunteers who would protect the train on its way to the destination. Adam was waiting for them, leaning against the wall by the exit they used to leave the honeycombed tunnels they used with his chin resting against his chest and his arms crossed. One of three exits out of the hideout into the open area of Mountain Glenn, or at least as open as an underground complex could be.

Blake looked at him and he shrugged, "They're having a small celebration with a few of their friends. I couldn't allow too many, we had to keep the perimeter guarded."

"Grimm would be a problem, yeah. Bad habit of eating people, blowing things up, and they just ruin dinners." Roman nodded sagely, tipping his hat at the two Faunus as though sharing a secret. They stared at him and he sighed dramatically, throwing his arms wide with a shit eating grin, "Kids these days, so disrespectful. They won't even accept advice from their elders."

"Exactly how much older than us are you?" Blake returned, crossing her arms and cocking her hips, smiling at him cockily. Either tell them he was very old, or admit defeat, she had him rapped there.

"Older than twenty." He assured, chuckling lightly to himself and heading for the stairs, "I'll make sure things are ready on the train. And get some punch, I _love_ punch."

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"She's doing well, Jaune." " _Better than I thought she would be, at least."_ The doctor said, smiling at him in a friendly way and stifling a yawn. "The Aura supplements are helping a lot, though I'm almost out. Once we reach Mountain Glenn I'll restock." " _Assuming they have them, of course."_

"And if they're out?" He asked worriedly, running a brush through Neo's hair to keep it straight and clean and looking at the doctor. She blinked at him and he gestured at the i.v. with a shoulder, "If they don't have any supplements, what will we do?"

"Well...We'd have to bring her out of the coma, and start inducing her Aura naturally that way." She grimaced and gave hima sour half-smile, "That would be… Well, painful is a word." " _Excruciating is a better one…"_

"She's tough." He muttered, setting the brush beside the sleeping woman and reaching down to hold her hand, rubbing the smooth skin on the back of her hand affectionately. He still couldn't sense her mind, but he was attributing that to the medically induced coma. "Still, let's avoid putting her through that. She might be a bit vindictive if you do, she's… the grudge holding kind."

"I will… keep that in mind." She said quietly, watching him with a small smile. He raised an eyebrow at her and she chuckled, turning around while amusement radiated from her. "It's nice, you're very affectionate towards her. And you spend so much time here, brushing her hair, holding her hand. It's sweet." " _And admirable."_

"She was there for me when I needed her." He nodded, smiling thinly to himself at the bittersweet memories. "Not the best start to a relationship, sure, but… I wouldn't trade it. Not after everything else we got for it, you know?"

"I know, believe me. How you meet people is surprisingly unimportant in the relationships that crop up with them throughout your days." She sighed, and he got a flash of a young man with red hair and bright, warm brown eyes. He sensed a great attachment to this man from her, and a… sort of bitterness. "Nevermind me, though." " _Listen to yourself, woman, prattling on about relationships while he sits with his wounded girlfriend in a medical wing."_ "I… prattle, sometimes, it's a problem of mine."

"No, no, it's fine." He smiled, genuinely amused at her for a moment, "You're tending to Neo, the least I can do is, you know, listen to you when you're talking about stuff. And you're so nice, too, I don't mind. Really."

"Thank you, Jaune." The woman smiled, checking her Scroll idly and sighing, "I have to go and get some more supplies from the storage level. I'll leave a drone outside, so just head out when you're ready. Okay?"

He nodded and she left, waving before swinging the door shut behind her. He sat with Neo for a long time, listening to her light breathing and watching her chest rise and fall, taking it as a sign of her being alive. Checking his Scroll he sighed when he realised it was closing on ten already and stood, leaning over to kiss her forehead before leaving as always. He hesitated at the door when he pulled it open, raising his hand and looking at it with a heavy frown as the electric feeling returned at hs calling, spider-webbing invisibly across his skin.

He had to meet with Cinder, and make some plans of his own. And with his new ability, he could think of quite a few.

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Qrow joined what was left of Team RWBY in their room once they reached the general's flagship, taking a seat next to the door and letting them read the folders quietly. He almost groaned when he saw Yang working her fist into one of the two cots in the room, normally one assigned to gunnery officers working this particular deck but on loan for the day or so they were expected to be using the flagship for this deployment.

"This is absolute _bullshit_!" The blonde snarled, hurling the folder at him. He caught it easily in one hand, looking at the young woman sitting on her bed and breathing heavily a few feet in front of him. "Everything in that is bullshit, isn't it?"

He flicked the small, manila folder open and skimmed the two pages, checking each fact as he knew it before looking at her. "Everything in here matches what I know, firefly. Down to the last jot on the final page." He folded it up, tossing it onto the floor, reciting events, "We recruited Jaune due to an ability he had and information he'd found that made it a thing we had to do, if we didn't want to put him in a cell or a knife in his back. He was taken, and we received a tip on his location. So, we formulated a top secret plan, think of one of your spy movies. Blake at the center. She had history, and the biology, needed for it to work."

"And you kept it from us?" Ruby asked weakly, knees pulled up to her chin and arms wrapped around her thighs, staring a hole into the floor sadly. "She was… Is, our friend, and you let us think she was a monster? That she tried to ki- Hurt, Miss Goodwitch."

He sighed, tapping his fingers on his arms anxiously when she turned her sad, silver eyes that looked so much like Summer's on him. "Look, kiddo, I-"

"They had to." Weiss murmured weakly, sitting primly - albeit stiff as a board - on the far edge of Ruby's bed, staring out the window at the skies as they passed. Her shoulders trembled slightly as she took a shaky breath, and he frowned sadly at it. "They had to, Ruby, because we needed to act the part properly. I might be able, I was taught to act and play a part. But you and Yang? You'd have wanted to go save her at the worst, and at least been poor actors."

"Well sorry, Princess, but we all can't be good liars like you." Yang snarled, standing from the bed and forcing the girl to turn, grabbing her shoulder and spinning her around.

The Schnee's arms came up defensively, hands resting on the woman looming over hers stomach warily while she cried, staring up at her. "This isn't easy, Yang, but you… You need… Blake wouldn't…"

The blonde's fires died almost instantly, her grip on the Schnee's shoulders faltering until she was just holding her, red eyes staring into blue, and she eased into a seat between her sister and the Schnee. Ruby curled up against her almost instantly, the older sister wrapping her up in her cloak with an arm and pulling her close. And even Weiss let herself be held against the larger woman's chest, sniffling softly. Qrow watched the whole thing, smiling bitterly for a moment before pushing off the wall and turning to leave.

"Qrow." He turned when Yang called, hard eyes meeting his own, "You tell Ozpin that when this is over, I'm going to deck him for putting us through this." She smiled thinly enough to almost be forced and eery. and he raised an eyebrow, "I'll accept his apology after that. You tell him."

"I will, firecracker." He chuckled, resting a hand on the flask in his pocket for a moment and turning back to the door.

"Me too, uncle Qrow." He heard Ruby murmur weakly into Yang's shoulder, and that did make him smile before he turned around. She turned to face him as well, sniffling lightly with tear tracks already beginning to form. "We'll be ready to help when we get there. P-Promise."

"I'll make sure to give you a heads up when we're gettin' close, kids." He said quickly, sliding out of the door and pulling it closed before they could answer. Fishing his flask out, he took a long, long drink and sighed, turning to head towards the bridge of the ship. "Gods damn this job… I need to frickin' retire."

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Qrow joined the others on the bridge as the ship began to turn, headed inland towards Mountain Glenn, and nodded at Ozpin as he entered, "Kids are takin' it all in, they'll be in the fight when it happens." He gave him a look, smiling thinly and raising an eyebrow slightly, "Yang said she was gonna deck you when all was said and done though, and then she'd forgive you."

"That does sound like Miss Xiao Long, yes." Ozpin chuckled, sitting in a chair behind the General's own on the raised command area. "Depending on how much they sway the tide of battle, I may very well allow it as well."

The flagship was laid out much like normal for its class and role, with multiple lines of terminals and command stations arrayed in four rows in front of the slightly raised command seat, where James had his own chair and that of his Second, sitting close behind his own with a small tablet-like device on a movable stick hanging from the ceiling that could be moved as needed for the person sitting there. The general's seat had a main console with a radar display for him to check, allowing him to issue direct orders for positioning to his fleet in the midst of battle with no delay from ordering someone to relay his orders, and the same kind of tablet-like silver device hanging from the ceiling, so he could peruse intelligence as needed.

"You coddle them too much." James argued, chin resting on his human hand between his index and thumb, idly reviewing operational details from the region on his tablet. "This is merely an operation, she should be expected to accept the nature of the job she chose, willingly, to pursue."

"She didn't 'choose willingly to pursue' her friend being branded as a terrorist, Jim." Qrow argued, stepping up on the opposite side from Ozpin to look at the large Atlesian. "Her and Ruby both, they're too good natured for this kinda shit, James."

"Naivete is no excuse for failing to do a job." He responded instantly, making the other man bristle. Sighing, he nodded, "However, I can… admit that it would be hard on anyone, finding this out."

"They trusted us. Our words and stories, that told them that Huntsmen and Huntresses are heroes, every one of 'e,. That was a lie, and they found that out. Still they believed us when we condemned Belladonna, as a terrorist and a woman who nearly became a killer, and they believed that too. Didn't even doubt us for a tick, for most of the time." Qrow said morosely, smiling bitterly and looking out at the forests as their vessel began to swing into the interior of the continent. "For how long shall they continue to accept our words as true? And how long _should_ they accept them? I know I wouldn't, in their shoes. Gotta earn that back, or where will the world be, if none of the next generation trusts the one before it?"

"I didn't fancy you as a philosopher." The Atlesian grunted, leaning back in his seat and appraising the man once again, in a new light. "Perhaps I was wrong about you, in a way."

"As long as you don't 'fancy me' at all, I don't much give a damn." He cracked, fishing out his flask and taking a sip from it. The Atlesian rolled his eyes and returned his gaze to the command tablet. "How we doin'?"

"We swung out from Beacon, crossing the forest and coming out over the sea, following a standard Atlesian patrol route. WIth luck, that means anyone in Vale acting as spotters for the White Fang wouldn't assume we were important." Nodding his head at the forests passing by outside, he continued, "Now we're on a slow burn approach towards Mountain Glenn. They'll pick us up, but an Atlesian ship like this would normally just be patrolling. It wouldn't have the tonnage to attack a base like I imagine Mountain Glenn holds."

"And ships like this likely don't hold quite the number of the soldiers you've brought to bear, I wager." Ozpin added, smiling coldly at that comment.

"Yes. A ship like this usually fields mostly drones and mechanized infantry units." James agreed, bringing up a roster on his tablet with a flick of his finger. "Instead, I brought every special forces soldier I have in my entire fleet. No drones, no droids, and no pure support squads for the mechanized units."

"Pure power punches, straight to the gut." Qrow chuckled, patting his sword on his waist. "I like it."

"Then go and get ready, you and Winter will be a part of the detachment we're dropping soon." James grunted, the drunk nodding and turning to leave.

Ozpin watched him go before sighing and looking at the Atlesian, "I look forward to this being over, but… I will admit that it will be nice to deploy in battle alongside you once again, old friend."

"Agreed." James returned, smiling to himself and bringing up old schematics of Mountain Glenn's planned construction. "And you and I get to do all of the heavy lifting, of course. Just like the old days."

The two fell silent as they felt the ship vibrate slightly, dozens of large troop transport Bullheads dropping the scant feet into the dense forests around Mountain Glenn as the ship moved up a small mountain, more like a large hill truly, and came into view of the abandoned and destroyed city as the noon sun broke the ridge with them, directly according to their plan.

Looking at the general, Ozpin rose and spun his cane in his hand idly, "Shall we?"

"We sha-"

"Sir, we're picking up a small fleet of ships on approach from the north." An officer relayed, the woman turning where she stood after a few seconds. "I'm running an identification recognition program, but they're the same type and quantity as reported prior to Castle Fort going silent."

"Navigation, calculation on the time it would take them to get here?" He demanded, a 'yes, sir' chiming back at him. A ping alerted on his tablet, showing dozens of likely routes, all easily within the time-frame needed to get here. "Communication officer, hail them. Radar officer, any news on that identification?"

"Two ships identified, Sir, both of them from Castle Fort's related reports. Negative on the frigate, the buildings are fuzzing it at the far range its at."

"Negative hail. The escorts aren't responding, similar blockages on the frigate, Sir."

"Full stop." James ordered, glancing at his display station, his ship a couple hundred feet from the edge of the construction zone. The escorts altered their paths, pulling further away from the frigate and up, using the buildings as cover while the frigate moved to land. "That's a defensive measure, they're landing the frigate near Mountain Glenn. Deploy strike craft to intercept."

"James, shall I lead the main assault on the surface?" Ozpin offered, turning so that his back faced the officers. "You're needed on the bridge of your ship if other vessels are involved."

James nodded, the man heading for the door at the gesture, "Deploy our forces to Mountain Glenn's surface as well. Transfer all authority on the ground to Headmaster Ozpin." Tapping his chin for a moment and looking at his console, he smiled to himself. "All crew to alert status, Gunnery Officers prepare for full engagement. Move our ship into the AO, cover our infantry and order support attacks from our light flak guns on the bottom deck. Low flying until ordered otherwise."

Dozens of light interceptors, heavy fighters and bombers spilled out of the flagship, circling out around Mountain Glenn on orders from his console before twisting in from the close-North and the South, flying slowly until the engagement began in full. He ordered them in, the interceptors flying ahead as the escorts sent their own fighters spilling out of their vessels towards them, all light escort fighters.

Within moments, James settled into his world of controlled chaos with a small, self-satisfied smile.

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"Atlas is here? Why is Atlas here?" Jaune asked as they disembarked, the sounds of gunfire echoing in the distance as the fighters went to work. He opened his shield instinctively as he followed Cinder, Emerald and Mercury. Around them, White Fang soldiers ran ahead, loaded down with rifles and supplies and eager to join the fighting. "I thought this place was a secret base? Secret implies not being attacked!"

"Clearly, someone elected to change our status." Cinder snapped, rounding on him in irritation, the blonde coming up short behind her. Unsurprised at her ire, he'd sensed it building, "I need you on the surface, Jaune. That's where they'll be landing, trying to find a way in." " _Unless the traitor is still here... "_

"What about you three?" He asked, looking up at the massive architecture.

"We have to get The Breach underway, it would seem." Cinder said quietly, smiling to herself as a strange amusement echoed out from her. "Worry about your role, I will handle mine." " _Luckily, their attack coincides with the Breach being launched."_

Jaune swallowed nervously, wading into the stress and panic as before, and trying to block it out. Cinder waited a long time until he left and she felt he wouldn't note her words and turned, smiling at Emerald. "Once the train is underway, finish the harlot off. Make sure it appears as though the ship being under attack was a cause. Take it into battle, if you must. So long as it is usable, I care not for its condition afterwards."

She nodded and, just inside a door leading into the complex, Jaune's grip on his sword tightened. He looked up, hesitating only a moment, before turning and jogging into the complex. He needed to find Roman and Blake, and get to the ship. He had an idea...

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 _ **[Archive Entry 2098] Atlesian Officer Corps**_

 _ **Atlesian Ship Officers - Atlesian Gunnery Officers**_

 **While the Atlesian armed forces, on land at sea and in the skies over Remnant, tend to devote command positions to Huntsmen-trained specialists who have been trained for the purpose. The tactical uses of those with Aura are well known, from their durability and damage output to their tendency to be able to simply move more on a battlefield due to their enhanced physical abilities.**

 **However, due to the nature of the intense requirements of such individuals combined with the mild rarity of those able to generate Aura in enough quantity and quality alike, many lesser officer positions - usually base officers in charge of supply, or ship-bound officers in charge of deployment managements - have to be relegated to the average Atlesian men and women.**

 **Atlesian Gunnery Officers serve aboard Atlesian capital ships, managing fighter deployments, support runs for ground forces, and relaying of information between the ground and higher officers. The rank of Gunnery Officer indicates two things. A lack of Huntsmen level capabilities, and an individual's status as a navy officer. Such men and women could, technically, hold commands on the ground if need be. However, it is important to acknowledge that the Atlesian military structure is built around the idea that a Specialist will be on the battlefield, lending and requiring support in equal measure.**

 **As such, Gunnery Officers are largely an auxiliary corps of sorts, and will happily defer to foreign Huntsmen should they be on the ground.**

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 _ **DuplicateUserName :**_

 **Shshshshshshshshshhhhhhhhhh! You're too close to my plot~! Lol.**

 _ **Boerhae :**_

 **No problem, welcome to the party.**

 _ **Scott USA :**_

 **No problem bro, glad to have it clarified.**

 _ **Zenith Tempest :**_

 **Then stick around for…. two(?) more chapters or so, and you'll see that Jaunedice spine starting to crop up as he gets more and more sick of shit.**


	41. Mountain Glenn Part II

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 _ **Official Supporters:**_

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 _ **If you want your name on the lists of my stories and videos, head over to P a t. R e . o n and search for the Temple Walkers. Just let us know you're from Fanfiction, alright? There's a thousand of you, so a dollar a piece would really add up and help me a lot! Once I reach five hundred Supporters of any value over a dollar, I will make a concerted effort to put out a chapter of something once every three days at the very slowest, Odin has even agreed to assist me in finding my own place. So I'll be doing this all day, every day.**_

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 **Sorry for my tardiness, I've been down with the flu for a week. Short ass chapter because of it, sorry, literally was throwing up all week so bad my throat bled.**

 **Also, it's my birthday everyone~! And yes, this is how my birthdays usually are for me.**

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The moment the Bullhead touched down, the doors slid open on the thick, dark forest. Ruby stepped out first, her team and JNPR both at her back and all with weapons raised. They looked around themselves nervously, the thick trees choking out almost all the light and leaving the area grim and dark, hard to see in. Around them, the sounds of engines and cracking trees echoed mutedly, the same trees as those being felled stopping the sounds from spreading. The great treas rose high overhead, thick flat canopies hundreds of feet into the air with scarce beams of the midday light breaking through, speckling across trunks large enough to fit five men inside if they were hollowed out. Lights on the machines burned into a bright existence, scorching tracks across the forest around them. Small ball-like drones floated out of the Bullheads,

Flinching, Weiss muttered, "It's... so dark. Even with our lights, I can scarcely see a handful of feet in any direction."

"Yes, the forests around Mountain Glenn are very dark indeed. On this side especially, the Goliaths tend to avoid it, Atlesian ships will destroy any in their patrolling ranges." Ozpin agreed, stepping past them with Qrow hovering by his side protectively, scythe resting on his shoulders as narrow eyes combed the woods. In the distance, several shots rang out where the other craft had to be landing, and he nodded as though taking a cue from the distant sounds of conflict, "Grimm are already starting to head towards us it seems. We've no time to chat then, we must get moving before our particular opponent wises up and sends her personal forces towards us."

They started making their way through the woods as quickly as they dared in the murk, occasionally hearing the sound of a rifle barking in the distance or a long, staccato burst of it being fired more desperately. A small Beowolf rushed from behind one of the great trees in their path, and Qrow bisected it without a thought, "Stick close together, kids, gotta keep an eye on each other in here. And the damn Grimm, 'course they can hide pretty much anywhere."

"And of course we can't spread out, so we're just perfect for an ambush." Ren complained lightly, Ruby whimpering at the premise. He gave her an apologetic smile, more a grimace with pinched eyebrows and a shrug, and sighed, "Sorry, Ruby."

They traveled like that for a while, quietly marching through the dark forests, listening to the dull and muted rounds, snarls and the crunch of their own feet. After a few minutes, the hill began to grow steeper, and the firing steadier and more common.

"Qrow, something is wrong." Ozpin observed, the other man nodding in response while the students following and Winter watched them nervously, or warily in the latter's case. "Qrow, Winter, I want you to scout ahead and-" He trailed off as the ground began to tremble, flicking his cane out to the side and peering ahead with narrowed eyes. "We're about to be under attack, prepare yourselves."

A deafening roar sounded as figure broke out into their sight lines, the drones' lights shining down from high above on them. The first of the Grimm stood almost a hundred feet tall and as thick as any of the trees around them. It roared and its massive jaws revealed two rows of razor sharp teeth that glinted in the darkness, beady red eyes glaring out from behind the heavy armor on its face and head, spines bristling along its back and long, muscular arms flexing as they spread threateningly. It slammed one of its legs into the ground and the group stumbled as the ground shook, and it rose to its full height, at least a century and a half tall and equal that from snout to its thick, muscled and armored tail's tip. White plates covered its legs, arms and sides, spines sprouting between them on its back about four feet tall and three inches thick, covering it entirely in armor aside from its stomach and chest between its arms.

"Espintillia…" Qrow muttered, swallowing nervously. It watched them for several long seconds, standing about twenty feet away. The Huntsmen turned to Ozpin partially, "That psychotic bitch sent _Espintillia_ into the damn forest."

It lunged in, massive jaw snapping at Qrow who leapt away, and the others scattered around it, beating its flanks with fire that did nothing. Qrow landed behind it, spinning his scythe and running under its tail, slashing at its unarmored flesh where thigh met hip. It spun, and he had to roll to the side to avoid the massive, clawed foot that slammed where he'd been heading. Ozpin launched himself at it next, stabbing rapidly at the creature with his cane as he crested his leap high over its head and pink grenades exploded along its left side. The beast snarled, flinching at each blow and staggering slightly back, but as Ozpin descended it lashed out, grabbing him in its right claw and raising him high before slamming him into the ground, pinning him there with a massive leg and roaring, long and loud and aiming to intimidate anyone in earshot as well as deafen them, deafening them and shaking the Espintillia turned its head towards the man pinned underneath, leaning down menacingly and licking its chops, almost mocking the fighters around it when Yang shot forward and slammed a fist into the leg holding him without any effect at all.

Snarling angrily at that, Pyrrha slammed her spear into the ground and held her hands high over her head, eyes drifting towards Winter before closing in concentration after a curt nod from the Specialist. The leaves high above began to shift and shake, some falling free. As the wind picked up and approached a gale, small limbs fell, smashing on the barren ground beneath and on the Grimm. A particularly large one smashed into its head and it growled, looking at her for a moment.

"Come on the, you useless lizard." She goaded mockingly, smiling widely and almost manically at it with her head lolling to the side and eyes open to show bright green, energized and smoldering eyes. "Come and try me!"

As though sensing the danger, it charged, the ground under it trembling as it did. With twin yells of fury and effort, the Schnee and the Maiden threw their hand at the beast, a Glyph spinning up and propelling huge shards of ice as Pyrrha summoned them, each the size of a car itself, at the beast. It stumbled, sinking to the ground and struggling to get up under the weight of the ice as it buried itself in the soft flesh of its underbelly, and the Espintillia lowered its head to block the projectiles.

Raising one hand over her head and forcing the ice to continue as the creature slowly, laboriously closed the distance, her smile grew thin and satisfied as fire burst into being around her eyes.

Dropping her hands, the ice barrage died and Winter blinked in surprise, "What-"

Pyrrha yanked her blade free of the dirt, leaping at the beast's head. It snapped at her, and she used a blast of air to turn herself, practically flying around it and landing at the base of its neck. It roared defiantly, spinning and bristling its spines in an effort to stab her to toss her asie, but she let her shield fly from her gri and skitter down its back and into the dirt and held herself there with one of its massive spines. Raising her sword, thunder cracked overhead, and she slammed the hilt into its head, releasing the weapon as four bolts of lightning cracked through the trees overhead, spilling light from an overcast sky into the forest as the leaves began smoldering and large limbs as thick as the Grimm spilled down, splintering against the ground and the trees they had once been part of.

The lighting met the blade of her sword, arcing through it harmlessly with her will and into the Grimm, the massive monster's roar of pain dying in a warbled, warped cry as it spasmed and smoked, its fur smoldering and burning in places. The group scattered as it fell, slamming into the ground with a breath and a weak sigh, and Pyrrha leapt off, sinking to her knees when she landed and taking a breath.

"Miss Nikos." Winter said worriedly, kneeling beside her and taking a breath to recover after the powerful glyph she'd used, "That was impressive, though I could have done with more in the way of forewarning. Are you well?"

"'M fine." She grunted as the fatigue of using so much of her power at once struck home and robbed her of breath and stamina, standing regardless and cracking her neck idly. She turned and continued on her way, stepping past a bemused Ozpin as she did. "Jaune is close, we can't afford to waste time on these… weak distractions."

"Quite." He agreed, shaking his head and turning to Qrow after taking a moment to appraise the downed beast as it dissolved, gesturing at the scarred armor it left behind for proofs of what he claimed, "This was the Alpha, the others are smaller, weaker and less intelligent. You and Winter assist our forces, we'll move forward."

"Got it."

"Yes, Sir."

They resumed their march, Ruby rushing to walk next to Pyrrha and gushing, "That was _amazing_ , Pyrrha! Even Headmaster Ozpin was having trouble, and you just…" she flailed her arms around herself, almost like she was trying to fly, "whooshed around it, and zapped it! How did you _do_ that?!"

"Yeah!" Yang agreed, throwing an arm around her from the other side with a bright smile, "You and I have _got_ to have a spar when we get back to Beacon. I had no idea you could do that much damage."

As they continued up the hill and the Espintillia dissolved behind them, they chatted brightly among themselves, some of the cheer forced and some natural and both in an effort to forget the situation and place and time they found themselves in. Ozpin almost thought to stop them, but ultimately allowed the conversation to continue. There was no reason to rob them of some of their limited joy, even in this dire place. When they reached the apex of the hill, he took a breath.

"We must press on, and quickly. Remember, our objective is to find and rescue Mister Arc and Miss Belladonna." He turned to meet their eyes, Pyrrha glaring at him at the concept of having to stop their advance. "Atlas' objective and our own are separate. Those two are our priority, once we save them, we can work towards Atlas' goals as well."

"We all understand our purpose here." Ren commented calmly, holding his Stormflowers up with a grim smile. "You needn't continue to tell us."

"Very well." Ozpin accepted, smiling with a sigh and turning around. "Then to Monutain Glenn we go."

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Qrow and Winter both ran as quickly as they could, the former unwilling to transform so close to the latter. The first squad they found were being pummeled, soldiers in the typical armor of Atlas surrounding the creature, firing into the joints of its plates or its underbelly. The Grimm lunged at a trio, and they scattered in an attempt to escape, the snapping jaws closing around one woman's waist with a crunch, her legs kicking in the air before going still after a crunch. The Grimm spat the legs and hips away, the rest noticeably missing from the woman as the remains slid across the ground and left their crimson trail, and Winter grimaced.

"Looks like the fighting just started here, you go ahead." Winter ordered, coming to a stop and falling into her summon stance, rapier raised in the center of her chest with the flat of the blade facing away from her. "I will eliminate the Grimm and follow. We can't delay or more soldiers will die."

He almost argued with her, but relented after only a moment and nodded, taking off into the woods. Once out of sight, he shifted his form and took wing, headed in search of the next fight. Winter took a long breath and inverted her rapier, stabbing the blade into the ground and willing her most powerful summon into existence. Years ago, Weiss had fought it, and managed to win, but it had impressed the eldest Schnee. So she'd sought one out for herself, and earned a new summon.

The Arma Gigas materialized, though a very different one from Weiss' opponent. Hers wielded a long and barbed spear in its main hand and a tower shield in the other, the spear forked at the end slightly and the tower shield as thick as WInter herself. It gave her a nod as it gained independence enough from her and could move of its own volition, and she smiled as the Espintillia turned and snarled at them both, head lowered to protect is vulnerable underbelly warily.

"Go, run." She ordered the soldiers, who hesitated only a moment before making to follow her orders.

She used her summon to block the Grimm when it lung at one of the fleeing Atlesians. The Grimm slammed into the Arma's shield, claws scraping painfully loudly against the shield, until the Arma turned and let it half-fall half-stagger past it, Winter leaping onto the Arma Gigas' shoulder. The Espintillia turned to her, roaring, and she smiled as her mount raised its shield and spear.

"This shouldn't take long."

The Grimm lunged again, and she ordered her summon to turn, dancing out of the way of the attack and stabbing in with its spear. The attack struck home, burying deep in the back of its right leg, just below where the tail gave way to open flesh so it could move. It snarled in pain, stamping away with a dangerous swing of its spike-covered tail, and her mount backpedaled warily. Not so much out of fear as caution, only taking two steps away and pulling its spear back into a protective stance, the point aiming up and away from the ground, resting against its shield.

Looking around them as they circled, each of the Grimm - both the real one and the fake alike, their instincts were both unchecked in such a heated battle - looking for some failing or fault in the other's defence. Her mount kept its shield held in front of it, warily moving at even the slightest threat from its opponent. The spined Grimm on the other hand lumbered slowly, head lowered enough to let it block most attacks and muscular arms clawing at the dirt as it turned, flexing readily, hoping for flesh to sink into.

Eventually, something's patience had to run thin, and luckily for her Grimm weren't a very patient sort. Hers, of course, obeyed her, but the other had no such restrain and charged. She smiled, waiting for the last moment and leaping high, dismissing her summon entirely. It faded and the Grimm slammed through it and into the mighty tree behind it, crunching against the wood and throwing splinters aside as it shuddered and fell, landing on its side with a stunned groan. A flick of her wrist summoned a glyph and she flew with it, her rapier gouging out dark flesh and ending it before it could rise or recover.

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Finding Roman was easy enough, most of the base under Mountain Glenn was empty of White Fang soldiers so he just followed his ability to sense people to the only crowd. It took a long, long time to navigate the tunnels and hallways, but that was practically it. Adam, Blake, Roman and about two dozen White Fang soldiers loading up barrels onto a train turning when they saw him, a couple actually waving a greeting with a sense of recognition echoing from them.

Members who'd been at Blake's supposed rescue, maybe? He couldn't tell.

"Jaune?" " _The hell are you doing here? Where's Neo? What the hell is actually happening?"_ He shook his head to clear it of Roman's thoughts, and the image in his mind of her in that bed. He didn't need that distraction right now. The man turned around, following him a few feet away, "What's going on, kid?"

"We're getting out of here, and we're stealing a ship from Cinder to do it." He said quickly, the man's bright eyes blinking owlishly at him for a few seconds. "It's a long story, okay? But Cinder can't be trusted-"

"Big surprise-"

"And if Neo stays where she is, Cinder will _kill her_." That killed the smarmy smirk and the sarcastic glint in the man's eyes, Roman grabbing him by the collar and shoving him against the crates behind him, the train on Jaune's other side.

"What do you mean?" He asked lowly, and Jaune relaxed oddly enough. He sensed anxiety, anger and worry from the man, but nothing that would make Jaune feel threatened. "And where the fuck is Neo if she's in so much danger?"

"She's on the ship, she… She got hurt fighting someone a while ago. She's okay!" He assured, watching and feeling the man's fear spike violently. "Just hurt, badly. I need you to go and get her medical supplies, the doctor on board said she needs them and that they should be in storage here, in Mountain Glenn's medical area, I guess. Then we have to get out of here."

"And what about Cinder?" He asked quickly, Jaune watching Blake and Adam talk and order the White Fang soldiers around, loading more crates or going through what they had on them. The Cat Faunus looked at him for a split second and he shook his head curtly, signalling for her to keep the other man busy. "Say we get the shit and get on the ship, Cinder won't just _let_ us leave without her." " _And if Neo is out of commission, there's no way in hell we win that fight... Shit."_ "Even going to Beacon wouldn't be enough at that point."

"We're not going to Beacon, and we're not leaving Cinder behind." Jaune said simply, the man making a pinched face and shaking his head in confusion at the young knight in his hands. "We're taking her with us, whether she wants to go or not. We can't afford to let her warn Salem."

"Salem?" Roman asked quickly, licking his lips nervously, "Who's that now?"

"Cinder's mistress." Jaune explained quickly, the entire area shaking violently as something exploded on the surface and rock rained down on them in a thin, ineffective shower. "It's a long, long story, okay? And I don't have time. I'll explain everything on the ship when we get underway, but you need to be on it. I can't fly."

"What's going on?" Blake asked, joining them as Adam moved away to bark orders at a few of the grunts. Jaune raised an eyebrow, and she added, "Adam will be busy, he's checking over the train to… make sure everything's ready." " _Until I figure out how to stop it."_ "Now, what's going on?"

"The genius here wants us to cut and run." Roman informed her smartly, gesturing at him with a nod and taking a step back. "And best part is, he wants us to take Cinder _with_ us." " _As though that's even possible."_ "Because, you know, we can kill her easy enough and it's not like catching someone is harder than killing them."

"Do you have a plan?" Blake asked, gesturing at the train behind him. "I won't leave that. What they're planning could get a lot of people killed." " _And my plans did enough of that in the past…"_ "So I hope you have a very, very good plan."

"Yeah, I have a plan." Jaune smiled and nodded, pushing off the crate as he sensed the fighting on the surface escalate. Panic, pain, fear and the presence of more minds feeling these things leaking into his consciousness. He grimaced sourly, looking at her, "But I don't have time to explain it. Blake, do whatever you can about that train. Roman, you have to get everyone off our ship except the doctor. She's the only one on board, and she's with Neo. I need her there."

"I'm sure they'll run right off if I ask." Roman muttered, shaking his head and fishing out a cigar to calm his nerves. Looking at Blake, he let out a puff of smoke and spoke around the cigar, "Suggestions, Kitty Cat?" " _Better ones than Jaune's, hopefully."_ "Figure you might know how to get a bunch of those animals moving in one direction, you got history after all."

"Blake!" Adam yelled, approaching them at a jog. He hesitated for only a second before giving Jaune a polite nod, "Arc." Turning back to Blake, "Blake, Atlesian soldiers are at the entrance to the underground hideout. Our men are holding them there, but the Gods damned Headmaster is there." " _And he's annihilating our men like tissue paper in a blender."_ "I have to go and help them."

Seizing his chance, Jaune stepped forward, "We'll hold here then, make sure everything goes according to plan. Blake will fill us in on what we need to know to help." He turned to Roman, smiling thinly at the man, "Roman, go to our ship, send most of the Faunus there to help. Tell them Adam needs them. Take a few to get our supplies first, then send them as well."

" _Clever little son of a bitch-"_ "Can do, kid." Roman agreed, tilting his hat politely at him and turning to address Adam. "Cinder wanted me to handle loading up her ship anyways, may as well send some animals your way while I'm there."

"Send as many as you can. We'll hold them off until we hear the train start blowing holes, and then we'll make our escape." Adam agreed, looking at Jaune for a long moment before sighing. "Good luck, Human." " _You'll need it."_

They watched the man jog away, shouting for a few of the larger fighters to follow. Roman turned to the blonde, holding out a hand, "See you kids on the other side. Be safe." " _Neo needs you idiots alive. You're useless to her dead."_

"Now what do we do?" Jaune asked, gesturing at the train and the dozen men and women still quickly loading up the last of the crates.

"We help load." She said simply, shrugging when he raised an eyebrow. "Then they can go help Adam too." " _And when they leave, I can sabotage his plan."_ Jaune nodded uneasily, too worried over Neo to bother asking how she intended to do that, and the woman couldn't help the relief she felt. "Once that's done and dealt with, we… Sort something out, I guess."

"Yeah." He agreed, adjusting Crocea Mors on his waist and sighing before squatting and hefting a crate, "Then let's… Get this over with, I suppose."

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Ruby spun Crescent Rose in a blur of red and black as she moved, using it like a cudgel to sweep the feet from under a guard and slamming the blunted back into her chest as she fell, knocking her out. Turning, she nodded and the other five kept moving through the halls, Ruby looking at Yang as they ran, "Are you sure the Headmaster can handle things by himself?"

"He said he could, and we ought trust him." Weiss offered, jogging along behind them with sweat breaking on her forehead. She never complained, of course, that Schnee pride was too much for that. "A-And my sister will be there soon, with soldiers."

"We just have to keep going, and find Jaune." Pyrrha ordered, running ahead and slamming her shoulder into a White Fang grunt as the small, wiry woman rounded a corner. Her blade flicked out and ended her with a wet wheeze, and she turned, "We have to get him out of here. And Blake too, of course."

The Mistralian only hesitated for a second before moving on, forcing the White Fang woman to the back of her mind, and Ruby looked at Yang. The blonde sighed, shaking her head and following, "Just forget about it, Ruby."

"I'm not sure I can…" She whispered, the blonde nodding understandingly. The brunette shook herself, standing stiffly and hefting her war-scythe again, "Let's keep moving. As long as we're heading forward, I… I can ignore it."

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"General, sir." The communications officer called as the ship rocked, rounds from one of the lighter enemy craft bouncing off his larger ship's armor. "Specialist Schnee is on the ground, reporting a Grimm threat that has been eliminated. Forces should be reaching Mountain Glenn shortly."

"Losses thus far?" He asked idly, ordering his ship to movelower and behind a collapsed building to take cover from the left flank.

The ruined settlement didn't offer too terribly much cover, but two huge mountains of ruined buildings had fallen that served well enough for terrain. His was in the center, closer to the one on the left over the couple dozen almost flattened blocks.

"Minimal, Sir. Around ten percent of deployed forces reported KIA. No WIA or MIA as of now, Sir." The communications officer reported quickly, and James grunted. He hadn't expected much of the last two, if any. MIA soldiers were essentially dead in any respect, and the Grimm didn't use much that would render the average soldier wounded and not kill them after doing it. "She's advising that she is continuing to her previous objective with what is left, Sir. Requesting orders."

"Tell her she has none, and she has my permission to continue to previous objectives." He ordered, standing and looking off to the side, out of a window to watch his ship's cannons turn and fire on one of the enemy vessels. One listed slightly to the other side, showing its belly as smoke wafted from its engines. "Helm, turn towards that wounded ship. Gunnery stations, focus fire on it wherever possible. Let's solve a problem, shall we?"

"Yes, Sir." They both responded as he retook his seat, feeling the ship shift under him to bring the cannons to bear. The barrage of rounds from his heavy guns slammed home, fire cracking where they landed, and he smiled to himself as the maller frigate listed to the side and began to drift towards the ground, floating away towards the forest as well. "Hold fire on it, I don't want it to collapse Mountain Glenn. We have assets on the ground. And someone get me a fighter report!"

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"No, little missie, you don't understand." Roman argued, shaking his head and wagging his finger at the small rabbit Faunus in front of him, her arms crossed and looking up at him in front of the closed ramp that would lead into the frigate when it lowered. "Adam told me himself, get the ship loaded so you animals can help pull his hide out of the fire."

"I doubt very much that he said that." She countered, the taller criminal rolling his eyes. She sighed after a second, turning to look at several men by one of the support legs and jerking her head in a 'come here' motion. "Look, we'll get the supplies from storage. But if we find out that you lied…"

"There is literally no reason for me to lie, Baby Bun." He joked, winking at her and blowing a puff of smoke in her face. She coughed, shaking her head and storming away from him, and he called after her, "Hey! You gonna let me on the ship? Not exactly a fighter, you know, so I don't wanna get caught out here!"

She groaned, pulling out her Scroll and talking into it for a few seconds until the ramp started to lower, "Fine, just stay out of the way, alright? We'll be back soon too, and this ramp won't open again after, so you'd better be on board if you want to come with us."

He nodded, making his way aboard and setting about looking for Neo. he needed to know she was alright, or it'd drive him more insane than he already was. Luckily, the layout of the ship was mostly the same as other Atlesian ships he'd… well, been on was a gentler term than why he was usually on them, or how he'd gotten there, or why. But it worked. A drone was easily found, and told him where the wounded were sent to rest, and so he made his way there easily enough and without many problems.

Walking into the room, he did his best to hide the way his breath hitched, and nodded to the doctor as he took a seat and rested Melodic Cudgel across his lap, "Mornin' doc, don't mind me. Just here to keep an eye on my psychopath, hope you don't mind."

"Well, I-"

"Don't mind at all?" He finished, smiling widely at her and patting his weapon affectionately. "Good, because I ain't leaving. I'm here for both your sakes. I got a report from a mutual friend of a friend," a head tilted at the wounded woman and a meaningful raising of his eyebrows, "that the little ice cream queen here might be in danger."

"Then you are welcome to stay, but I still need my supplies for her." She asserted hardly, swallowing nervously and looking at the man. "If that isn't sorted out, then we'll need thicker walls. Because this young lady will deafen us both, even if your ears aren't as strong as mine. Mutes can't speak, but I've heard them make noises that would draw sympathy from a Grimm itself."

"I have people gettin' it now, Doc." He said weakly, looking at the sleeping woman worriedly before turning his gaze back to her. "And I'll protect her, so don't fret your cute little ears."

"My ears will do whatever they damn well please." She snapped back, turning back to her console with a scowl. "Fretting included."

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Ozpin turned to the side as he strode forward across the clearing around Mountain Glenn towards the massive wall that made up this area's 'underground' section's exterior, spinning his cane by a finger as he approached the last panicking White Fang soldier, allowing it to strike the large bear Faunus as he stepped by and render him unconscious.

Several Atlesians ran up behind him, shouldering their weapons and looking around warily, "Sir, the sector..." a burst of rounds in the distance distracted her, the small woman adjusting her grip nervously and turning her torso towards the sound warily, "seems to be clear. Orders?"

He chuckled, looking up at the dilapidated wall, tones and bricks littering the ground around him as much from the fighting as time itself. Behind them, further up the hill, the dark trees from earlier swayed in wind both natural and from the battle above. Around him, cold, dark stone from a fallen building of at least several stories curled around them almost protectively. Ozpin looked the way they'd come, where he'd separated from the students to let them sneak in through a smaller hole in the wall that lead into a series of passages and sighed.

"I don't quite do orders the same way you are used to, corporal." The wiry, dirty woman shifted uncomfortably when he looked at her and he nodded. "However, if you would please find a way to blast into the catacombs, I would greatly appreciate it"

"Actually." A woman spoke from nearby, voice echoing around them almost ethereally. Ozpin took a moment and turned, looking up at the highest point of the rubble and setting his cane in front of him, leaning against it, "I would very much appreciate it if you didn't go around blowing holes in my hideouts. It's quite rude, you understand."

"Yes, well, my apologies but the owners appear to have stolen a couple items of mine." He shrugged, giving the corporal a look of warning when her hand flexed on her rifle. Returning his gaze to the red-dressed woman, he smiled diplomatically, "So if you'll just return them, I will gladly be on my way."

"That is a very tempting offer, truly it is, Headmaster." She feigned a defeated sigh, gesturing overhead, "But even were my mistress agreeable to such a deal, I highly doubt Atlas would turn around and allow my allies their goals."

"Not likely, no." He sighed dramatically, kicking the base of his cane and holding it out to his right side like a rapier after a half-spin. "I suppose I'll have to settle for asking for a dance, then."

"A dance?" She asked coyly, pressing fingertips to her chest and smiling demurely, "Why, Headmaster, I am shocked you would be so forward." He smiled and nodded his head to the side, the Atlesians backing away quickly as she descended. "But yes. Let us dance, for a time. I don't have to leave for a while yet."

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 _ **Scott USA 1 :**_

 **Thanks~**

 _ **Vai :**_

 **Glad you enjoyed, bro. Yeah, the non-Jaune chapters were a necessity I realized early on with how this story was going to go. Is meh.**

 _ **The Masked Mummer :**_

 **Yus~**

 _ **Duplicate User Name :**_

 **Where's teh plot going~?**


	42. Mountain Glenn part III

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Cinder took a long, long breath, breathing in the scents of battle around her. The smoke in the air from, the burnt Dust from the cannons on high and the rifles in the field as both fired away in the distance and the acrid scent wafted on the breeze, like smoked meat that had been burned but with a sandy smell on top of it. The scorched wood and smoldered stone around and behind her, and the smell of blood, rich with the iron and copper taste that she knew so well. Looking down from her perch, the five Atlesians spread out around her, weapons gripped tight in their hands and a cool breeze blew against her bare back where her dress parted and let her skin show.

Summoning two short swords, she shot towards him and he moved, dodging under her and swinging at her back as she landed. She blocked the strike over her shoulder with her right hand, hurling the sword in the other at the Corporal. It took her across the chest and she fell, dead before she hit the floor, and Cinder smiled as the Atlesians moved to intervene. Scowling, Ozpin raised his hand to summon his Semblance.

Cinder leapt away, knowing full well what he could do, and hurled a dozen shard-like throwing knives at him and forcing him on the defensive. Ozpin backed away several steps, deflecting the projectiles he couldn't dodge, and Cinder summoned another dozen and hurled them as well, forcing him further back towards the rubble she'd stood on only a moment prior.

She turned, fluidly dodging a burst of fire from an Atlesian as she spun and summoned another of the small knives, hurling it across the open ground and into the man's leg. He fell, slamming into the ground at the opening between the rubble pile and the solid wall, clutching at the wound.

She summoned a short javelin, spinning it in her palm, and Ozpin leapt between her and the wounded man as she flung it, smashing it to pieces in midair. Spinning the cane in his hand, he straightened and looked at the Atlesian as another came to his aid, pulling the knife from his leg and working to bandage the wound.

Turning to look at the woman, he growled, eyes hard and cold and boring into hers searchingly. "You are truly set on the path of chaos, it would seem. I find myself wondering why. With your power, your skill, you could do so much good."

"Your _good_ doesn't last." She lunged at him, summoning a short spear with a curved blade like a scimitar at its tip, stabbing and slashing before spinning the weapon around her shoulders like a pendulum, each swing slashing at him with a whistle. "Every good thing you build falls, and nothing you do stops it!"

"Perhaps." He admitted as he dodged backwards, taking two steps before raising his cane, the weapon slamming against it with a sound of strained metal, raising a hand and sing his Semblance to shift the position of part of the haft to the right, the pieces falling away uselessly, "But my good brings me loved ones and friends. And you, Cinder, are alone.

She abandoned the ruined weapon without a thought, summoning twin scimitars to replace them and smiling, "Oh Ozpin, dear. I serve my mistress, and through her, I am never truly alone." She hurled the scimitar in her left hand, flicking her wrist and shattering it herself as it soared towards him and the Atlesians directly behind him. Seven shards flew at him, and he found himself trapped, deflecting most and using his Semblance to divert the last before it could harm the soldiers behind him.

Sparing a brief second, he turned, "You need to get out of here before-"

He spun on instinct, raising his left hand to summon his Semblance when he sensed the malignancy hurtling towards him, like a sense of someone looking at you mixed with a foreboding born of years of experience against the Grimm and his own natural sensitivity to them. Dozens of black tendrils wrapped around his arm, binding to themselves and his arm with the strength of concrete and pulling him forward. He glared at Cinder, holding her left hand up with a smile on her face, and he pulled at his Semblance to the most he could, a clock spinning into existence below him like one of the Schnee's glyphs, the hands spinning rapidly.

The tendrils spiderwebbed around her arm, crawling up it as they did Ozpin's own, anchoring to each and holding fast. He applied his Semblance to it, seven clocks spinning into life along its length, trying to age it. It failed entirely, and he scowled.

"My mistress gifted me with this, and it was quite useful against the Fall Maiden." She explained, wincing as it reached her elbow and seemed satisfied. "It allows me to drain more… mystical energies, and is uniquely resistant to Semblances."

He fought back a gasp of pain, a feeling like electricity arcing up his arm, and scowled at her. One of the remaining Atlesians charged her, rifle firing in a desperate attempt to help him, and he pointed his cane at the man, using his Semblance to teleport him past Cinder before a dozen knives she hurled could reach him. The man stumbled and Cinder sneered at Ozpin, twisting the hand connected to the tendrils and sending an arc of pain across his body that had him gasping for breath as his chest constricted and his muscles contracted, his body twisting in on itself and his cane dropping from his hand as he sank to his knees, the free hand holding himself up on the ground.

"Ah, Ozpin. Just as my mistress told me, ever the savior that you think you are." She gestured at the dizzied man, smiling at the Beacon Headmaster coldly, "You save these soldiers for moments and weaken yourself doing it, but it won't _do_ anything."

She summoned a scimitar, and lunged towards him, and he used his arm to ward off the attack, his Aura sparking with each strike as they fought. Eventually Cinder overpowered him, throwing him onto his stomach and using the tendrils to wrap around his throat and choke him, straddling the back of his waist and leaning close to him to whisper in his ears, "And like I said, I'm never alone, Ozpin."

"Eyes up, Grimm!" One of them called out, raising their rifle and firing up into the air as dozens of Beowolves leapt from on high, along with a veritable horde of Creeps. The bursts that he, and the other surviving Atlesians, fired struck home, the Grimm dissolving and dying in the air before they even reached the ground. Many more died, impacting the ground or the rubble badly and dying there or suffering grievous wounds.

Leaning down while he watched, feeling the dregs of his power fade, Cinder whispered almost sensually into the Headmaster's ears, "I was made for this, Ozpin. Killing you to clear our path, stealing power from the Maidens, I was built for it." She summoned a short saber, "And now, you die. And by the time you return, Beacon will be in ruins and the Maiden's power will be mine."

"You're a fool." Ozpin said shortly, chest constricted and voice tight under the influence of Cinder's creature. "To let her _infect_ you with a Grimm, to help her… You know how little she cares for you?"

"Of course I know." Cinder responded shortly, sighing and shaking her head. "Neither of us values the other. We're not weak like you." Ozpin chuckled and she scowled, siphoning away the last of his Aura with a weak flicker of green around his body, "Is something amusing?"

"Yes, in a tragic manner." He looked up at her, eyes crinkling in honest amusement, "You. You think you'll survive this, and that amuses me. Jaune will see you to your end, I feel certain of it."

"Jaune is _mine_." Cinder sneered, leaning close to his face and glaring at him, the edge of her saber digging into his throat. After a second she shrugged, sighing, "Well, he's not mine yet. But that will be solved as soon as I remove a certain annoyance. Then? I shall take his loyalty, and take what is rightfully mine."

"Good luck with that." Ozpin said with a sad sigh, "I for one place my wager on you dying, likely painfully. I don't quite know who will be the one who kills you, or how, but I should think that young Jaune will be quite important in it happening."

Sneering, she swung the saber, enjoying the sound of the whistling steel and the wet squelching sound as his head rolled free. Recalling her parasite, she rubbed her off hand soothingly and shook her head, a sour expression on her face even as a sick amusement at seeing Ozpin's head roll free and his body slump echoed through her, "Typical arrogant Ozpin, always thinking he knows more than he does."

She chuckled and rose, making her way around the fallen rubble while the Grimm enjoyed their fresh meat. She needed to return to her ship, and report to her mistress Ozpin's death. The delay to his involvement would be short enough, but helpful.

And now, Jaune had no one to truly escape to.

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James Ironwood's ship shook violently as the enemy frigate unloaded everything it had into the larger ship's hull as it soared up and over the buildings, out of its relative cover in an effort to aid the other White Fang ship trying to limp away to recover, it's rear turrets firing weakly at the Atlesian capital ship. James smiled, ordering another several round into its engines, and turning his attention to the fresh frigate approaching his. Behind him, the dying frigate's engines gave in, spitting fire and smoke as it fell, clipping Mountain Glenn and slamming into the forest beyond, explosions firing into the sky from its Dust, munitions and fuel alike.

A fighter screamed by the window, smoke billowing from it as the White Fang vessel spun through the air and slammed into the piled rubble of the buildings, and the general turned to his officers, "How is the air battle going regarding fighters?"

"Good, Sir. Our fighter force has only lost a fraction of its number, but reports indicate that the White Fang's already meager force has been suffering badly." The flight officer reported quickly and crisply.

"Radar signatures report the same, sir. No Grimm signatures as yet either, sir. Not in the air, at least." The radar officer turned after a second of hesitation, "That's… strange, isn't it, sir?"

"Yes, it is." The general admitted, tapping the arm of his chair idly for a moment while his thoughts raced and suspicions rose. "Pull a fighter screen back, around the ship. And send extensive radar pings out, make sure nothing is flying in the forest."

"Nothing there either, sir." The radar officer returned after a moment, bracing themselves as the ship shook under another useless barrage as the enemy frigate lumbered toward them. "I will monitor it however, and report if I see anything."

"Odd." He remarked, sighing contentedly anyways at the news. "But good regardless. Still, keep the fighters there and-"

"Sir, enemy frigate inbound! It looks like it's going to ram us! Our rounds won't bring it down in time." The radar officer interrupted, James turning to look at the ship in surprise.

"They wouldn't…" After several long, tense seconds of the ship lumbering through the hundreds of feet between them the general stood, voice bellowing, "Dive, go under it and turn to the right!"

"We can't, sir, there's too much rubble there! We'll founder and they'll come down on our vessel's top." He looked at the overlay, blinking at the realization, "We're hemmed in, we can't go anywhere in time to get away from it! We need orders!"

"Set engines all ahead, full power. Order all non-essential personnel to evacuate the ship as we go." He took his seat, swallowing his nerves and taking a shaky breath. "All others will maintain positions, we need to get out from over Mountain Glenn or our forces on the ground as well as evacuees will be crushed under our vessel. Not to mention Ozpin, and his students."

"Understood sir, sending the order." James grunted, watching staff assistants and others filing towards the doors, and the communications officer continued, "Sir, you should go as well. We can handle this. You'll be needed to assume command on the ground, as well as to coordinate rescue efforts later."

James nodded gravely, standing with a sigh and turning for the door, "For Atlas." The officers repeated the cheer loudly and bravely and he left without another word, sealing the door behind him and activating the bulkhead systems to try and buy them a chance. Climbing into an empty pod, he sighed and let his head roll back to rest against the cool metal, feeling the ship tremble under another barrage. A moment later and he felt his pod jettison, followed by the sound of twisted, screeching metal nearby as the two ships met.

He despised being a general sometimes, and despised Ozpin too.

Climbing out of the pod and pushing some rubble aside, he turned to see what had happened to his ship. The two ships were barely distinguishable from one another, having smashed together in such a way that it almost looked like a plus sign, side from the odd piece of metal or turret protruding at an angle. Debris riddled the ground all along the path it had gone, landing on the north-western corner of Mountain Glenn and caving into the ground enough that the top decks were only a few feet above the surface surrounding it.

"General!" He turned as several line officers ran towards his pile of rubble where his pod had landed, crashing into what appeared to have been an apartment under construction when the settlement was lost. "Are you injured, Sir?"

"No." He answered the young woman, her uniform singed and dirty, "I am fine. How are you and your men?"

"No injuries, Sir, our pod stayed together. We landed nearby and came to check this pod out first, sir, we didn't know you'd be in it." She reported, gesturing down the 'street' - if one could call it that, it was more of a clearing at the bottom of the artificial valley between the mountains of rubble - at an old and ruined restaurant, their pod nestled in the front door. "Sir, do you have orders?"

"Yes." He said, drawing his massive revolver and checking its ammo absently, "Secure weapons if possible, and search for more pods. We'll try to rendevouz with our ground forces and retreat to their dropships, which we can ride back to Vale."

Left unsaid was the abandonment of anyone still alive on the ships, but the officers nodded anyways and turned, leading him towards their pod.

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Jaune stumbled as the earth beneath him rumbled, stones raining down a few yards away and crushing one of the trailers the White Fang had been using to move large quantities of Dust. Luckily, it had been emptied hours earlier, so there wasn't an explosion but it was still nerve racking to see the empty crates labeled 'Dust' with the normal warnings about explosives stenciled along the side, smashed to pieces under rocks and metal.

"Blake!" He called from where he stood on the train's rear landing, sensing her own panicked reaction from inside the train, along with a strange fear and anxiety, as another tremor resounded across the area, showering the train cars in rocks and debris, some large enough to dent the metal of the trains and shatter windows in their frames, "We have to get out of here, the roof is falling to pieces over our heads!"

"I can't, if we leave then this train will let Grimm swarm into Vale!" She stepped around the door, propped open by one of the explosive crates, close enough he could feel her breath until he stepped back towards the edge of the landing. "Do you have any idea what will happen to the people if that happens?" " _And what they'll do to the Faunus… Gods…"_

"If we stay here, we'll die!" He argued, gesturing around them with his sword, "We're all alone right now, Blake, but how long until White Fang come back and wonder why the train isn't gone? What do you think happens then?"

They both flinched and stumbled, grabbing onto the train for support as a scraping sound echoed throughout the cavern, the sound boring into their heads painfully and the metal of the train vibrating under it. Above them and hundreds of feet away, a metal hull shattered through the roof and scraped away, showering the floor under it in rubble and metal, several decks of two ships merged together hanging in the open air.

"What the hell?" Blake murmured in surprise, looking at the metal in the distance and turning to Jaune, "Is that an Atlesian ship?" " _How the hell did a ship get down here?"_

"Well, actually, it looks like two ships." Jaune offered, shaking his head and watching stone and steel rain down from it. Turning back with a serious face he continued, "Blake, we have to get out of here. I have a ship we can use and-" He spun in surprise as another, smaller, explosion sounded from further down the open area, a familiar echo reaching his Semblance's power even if it felt… off somehow. "Amber?"

No, it felt… wrong.

A White Fang grunt shouted in panic as she was flung over the edge of the raised walkway that hugged the edges of the train-yard, and ven from here he could see the bright spot of blonde hair of the brawler, Yang, step up to the spot he'd flow from, checking over the edge and looking around.

After a moment, she spotted them, and even from here he could sense… Anger, hurt, a strange joy and worry, all mixed together. Behind him, as strong as Yang's own, Blake overflowed with worry, relief and a strange anguish that made his heart ache.

She leapt over the edge as soon she was joined by several others, Pyrrha and Weiss standing out at this range, and Jaune turned around to smile at Blake, "Come on, the others are here. We can all go together." The train shuddered as the engineer at its head started the engine to pull away, probably in fear of being stopped at this point. "We don't have time, just… Come with us, we'll try to warn Vale."

"Tell them I'm sorry, for everything." " _It has to be this way."_ Blake said quietly, Jaune raising his shield to block a kick aimed at his chest. The impact pushed him back, the railing behind him groaning under his weight before she slammed another kick into his shield, breaking the rusty railing and letting him flail and fall behind it. "This is too important."

He groaned on the ground, the weight of his armor slamming him into the cold ground enough to drive the air from his lungs, but he managed to squeeze out, "B-Blake?"

"I can't explain it, they'll be here and if they get here they won't let me…" The young Faunus gripped her weapon at her side anxiously, looking towards the group sadly, the fear and sorrow echoing out from her mind overpowering anything he ever felt,, "Just.. tell them. Tell them I didn't run away again. That when I saw the choice to run away or save countless lives, I did the duty of a Huntress. Carry that message for my team." " _And for my parents too…"_

Blake turned, sealing the door as the train pulled away with a quiet groaning metal sound. Jaune forced himself to stand, watching the train recede as Yang sprinted past him to the edge of the tracks, watching it withdraw into the distance, "Blake!" She spun around, grabbing Jaune and hauling him into the air, "Where's she going?"

"I-I don't…"

"Where, damn it!" She yelled again, anger, sorrow and worry enveloping him from her and red eyes boring into his. His hands gripped her wrists and tightened reflexively, a reaction to the hold she had and her emotions, and she snarled again as she released him and he stumbled back, "Where is that train going, damn it!" " _Maybe Ruby can catch up to it with Weiss' glyphs? Damn it, she was so close!"_

"Jaune!" He turned, red hair blocking out his vision as Pyrrha slammed into him at full speed and threw her arms around his neck, nearly taking him off his feet and snuggling into his chest with a sigh and a barrage of contented emotions and relief, "I finally found you…" " _After everything… You're here."_

"Ruby, can you catch the train?" Yang asked when the small woman joined them along with the rest of the party, all of their emotions - confusion, pain, aches from fighting, anxiety, and some minor bitter joy at seeing him - slammed into him with the weight of a freight train. When Ruby shook her head no, Yang swore and fisted her hands in her hair, "Damn it!"

"I could throw a glyph, try to slow it down." Weiss offered, holding Myrtenaster in front of her, "I'll just need-"

"No!" Jaune yelled as he sensed Blake's decisions, turning and looking down the tracks at the distant train as it seemed to ripple and warp in front of him, twisting before the violent explosion to follow.

They were thrown back as the train exploded violently, starting in the back and stuttering forward along the train, the caboose bouncing as it detonated and chaining down the length of the long machine as the Dust ignited in a reaction that sent a wave of heat washing towards them, the gust harsh enough to push them back a few inches before stopping. After a moment's delay, the tunnel began collapsing starting above the train and ending a few feet in, thick slabs of stone burying the fire and smoke.

After a moment of shock, apparent and physical to Jaune, Yang shouted in rage and ran forward, pulling at the stones and rubble and steel, her thoughts entirely unreadable and shattered in a way new to Jaune. "Guys, come on, we have to dig her out!"

"I'll… deal with her." Ruby said pitifully, looking at Jaune with Pyrrha hovering over his shoulder, "You guys… keep an eye out for me?" " _How am I going to do this… Oh, Blake."_

Letting the girl try to get her sister under control while they fanned out around the now-collapsed tunnel, Pyrrha hovering over his shoulder the entire time. After a minute of tense silence, she finally spoke to him, "We all missed you, Jaune. A lot. We did… everything we could to get you back." " _No matter the danger."_

There was that… odd familiar sensation of Amber yet again, echoing into him, and so close he couldn't mistake it, "Ozpin made you make the change." He realized, blinking in surprise at it, "I… He used me, didn't he? To convince you to do it?"

"I took this power on in order to save you. Of my own will." She added the last after a moment, guarding her thoughts with an odd and practiced way, thinking about the rocks around them. "Ozpin offered me the choice and I accepted it, nothing more. THat I did so for you is irrelevant."

"But that he convinced you using me isn't." Jaune growled, flexing his fingers on his sword-grip and shaking his head, "He wanted me to do that as it was, Pyrrha. He wanted me to coerce you into accepting the Maiden powers and… And poor Amber." He sighed, closing his eyes as the realization struck him, "I guess she's gone now too."

"I'm sorry, Jaune." She said hesitantly reaching out to touch his shield-arm, and he knew she meant it. "I had to save you, no matter what. Even if…" " _If others were lost."_ She took a breath, and continued, "No matter the cost to myself, I had to… To save you."

He took a long breath and nodded, "I get it… I'm not angry at you. But I'll kill Ozpin for this, I swear." She opened her mouth to speak and he sensed her argument coming, turning and cutting her off, "No. He coerced you into this, and I can… _feel_ the turmoil inside you, the problems its caused. Your mind even feels different, Pyrrha!"

Ren, several yards away, turned and gave them a look and Pyrrha smiled, waving at him awkwardly and turning her back to him to talk to Jaune, "We can't talk about this now, Jaune. We'll talk more in private but… We have to get out of here, as soon as Yang is ready to travel. Do you have a way out?" " _We don't, until Ozpin gets here."_

Shaking his head, he turned to look at Yang and Ruby sitting on a slab of tone and hugging, the blonde's head tucked into the smaller girls' shoulder, "We have to get going soon before Grimm or worse get here. I have a ship we can use."

"Where did you get a ship?" Ren asked in surprise, turning where he stood with a raise eyebrow, "I wasn't aware you had that kind of money." " _Given how often Pyrrha paid for your meals, especially."_

"I don't." Jaune admitted easily, shrugging, "It's… complicated, really, but we need to go before the White Fang tries to board it. Most of them should have left when Roman old them Adam needed their-"

"Roman, as in Torchwick?" Ruby squeaked when they joined him, Yang looking lost behind her smaller sister. "You're friends with Roman Torchwick?" " _Is Jaune a criminal now? Oh Dust, are we criminals for saving him?"_ "Are you a bad guy now?"

"Yes, we're friends. No, I'm not… a bad guy." Jaune said quickly, shaking his head and turning to lead them back to his ship, "It's a long, long story, and I'll tell you when everyone is together. I promise. I just… needed help, while I was in my… situation. He and Neo offered it."

"Neo?" Nora asked, adjusting her grenade launcher in her hands absent-mindedly, "She a… friend of yours or something?" " _That's a weird name…"_

"Or something." Jaune affirmed, grimacing and smiling all at the same time and shaking his head. "She's hurt, really badly, and that's why she's not here…" He smiled, shaking his head, "I just realized you're all here. I… can barely believe that."

"Blake isn't…" Yang murmured weakly, staring at the ground listlessly and awash in guilt and sorrow in equal measure. A slight exercise of focus showed him why, letting him dig through her emotional maelstrom.

"You bought the story." Jaune asserted simply yet gently, the blonde actually flinching visibly at the accusation. "You believed she was a terrorist, a wolf in sheep's clothing. And you wanted to help her to redeem yourself. Didn't you?"

"I-I… She… I just…"

"Jaune." Pyrrha said warningly, edging close enough to him in the rocky expanse under Mountain Glenn, "Now isn't the time, I think, to try and fix her." " _Staying puts you at risk, we'd best leave and deal with Yang afterwards."_

"Fix her?" Ruby asked meekly, but clearly upset at the implication. "She's my sister, and we just lost a team member. She doesn't need to be _fixed_. She just needs-"

"Time to grieve which we lack. Even if I was willing to wait for her to do so, we don't have the time. Staying here long enough for that could lead us _all_ to fall this day." She pointed her long spear down the destroyed tunnel at the rubble, "I doubt Blake wanted such for us."

"Stop." Jaune demanded, grabbing Pyrrha's shoulder and pushing her back towards Ren before looking at Yang, "She's right though, Yang. We can't wait, but Blake wanted me to tell you something." The blonde brawler blinked, perking up at the thought, and Jaune grimaced, "She wanted you to know that she didn't run. That she realized what had to be done to save lives, to prevent the White Fang letting Grimm into Vale to run amok. And that she was sorry, for everything."

Yang blinked, eyes misty for a second before she blinked them away and nodded, "I… I can hold it together, at least until we get out of this shithole." " _Blake, you idiot… If you'd just waited, we could have figured out something better."_

He elected not to correct her assumption that Blake had control over the train's departure, instead nodding and looking at Ruby, "Keep an eye on her anyways, and when we get to the ship, make sure she gets some rest in one of the rooms. Alright?"

"Y-Yeah." Ruby nodded hesitantly, swallowing before nodding again, more firmly and with a stringer look in her eyes, "I mean, yes. I'll make her get some rest, Weiss can join us too. Team RWBY will get through this together." " _Mostly, at least…"_

"Ren, can you-"

"I will help them as best as I can." Ren nodded, smiling in a strange way at the blonde knight and radiating a certain calm that surprised Jaune, "Assuming they need it, of course." " _It's damned nice to have you back, Jaune. It's been hellish without some leadership here."_ He smirked oddly, " _Best not to say that to him though, would go right to his head."_

"Then we need to go." Jaune said quickly, gesturing with his sword toward the exit in the buildings up on the landing, "We'll take my ship, and get out of here." And take care of Cinder and Salem, he left unsaid.

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 **Hey guys It's me Voltegesist again, I'm sorry for delaying this chapter to you guys but I was a bit busy so I couldn't beta it right away, hopefully it won't happen again**

 **Adios,**

 **Volte**

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 _ **Zexzakaria :**_

 **Gonna need an explanation to the last half of that…**

 _ **Red's Melancholy :**_

 **Honestly? I get it. I do. I can't really offer much except an apology, but this story had this as an experiment. I wanted to see how it worked to write that way, and how it felt to do so. I have my likes for it, but a litany of dislikes as well. However in an actual fight scene, I don't swap around much. I trend towards keeping fights on their own for that reason. I DO need to try and experiment with crowded combats and battles, but for now the old 'mook tactic' will have to work on that.**

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 **Oh no, he didn't forget that they were close or friends, or what happened to separate them. But it's… complicated. He needed allies, and made a few, and then shit escalated in every manner.**

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 _ **Crimson Darkness :**_

 **Yeah, I saw that coming when I had everything set up, honestly. Reworked a couple things to fix a few issues I saw with it too. Hopefully, it ends up better for it.**

 _ **The Impossible Muffin :**_

 **Yeah, kinda what I was headed for in this setup. I take it your brother is an Arkos fan? Been wanting to write a story to ship that for a minute. I have a Destiny one lined up, so maybe….**


	43. Cinder Fall

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When they finally stepped out of the dark and into the light around Mountain Glenn, what little there was available with the settlement itself, was a welcome guest in their lives. The darkness of the tunnels had been oppressive for everyone, and Jaune especially. He'd experienced a battle before, the pain and emotional shocks that came with it, but it had been short. Maybe a couple hours, and almost exclusively droids the first time and then mostly wounded people the second, with none of the primal fear that the Grimm brought to bear whenever they were on the field.

But the Atlesians and even the White Fang had plenty of Grimm to stir up that instinctive fear, and that had been as sweltering as any heat wave and as painful as any wound. But he was more than used to muscling through that by now, even under the best of times he suffered these sorts of emotions. He could let it overload him later, when he was safe enough to do so without risking anyone around him.

As they approached, he relaxed slightly, he couldn't sense anyone at all from outside the ship, and the 'static' as he called it from the droids obscured who the few on it were. Two on one side and further up, probably the doctor and Neo, and a good few more dotted around the ship.

"That's… an Atlesian frigate." Weiss said as they all emerged, bagginning to make their way down the slight hill toward the lowered ramp where droids were working, loading crates into the cargo bay. The White Fang had clearly left some time ago, and Jaune chalked that to Roman. Weiss stepped closer to him as they walked, turning to give him a wide-eyed look, "How on Remnant did you get hold of an Atlesian frigate?" " _And a decently modern one too, Atlas doesn't usually sell these."_

"I… Got it from some acquaintances." Jaune admitted with a grimace, Watts' sneering face flashing in his mind's eye at the mention of the small fleet. "He has several, actually, and what it needs to keep moving regularly." She gave him a look and he sighed, "We can do something about it later, Weiss. I promise."

As they approached several droids turned from their tasks, sidearms attached to their hips threateningly. They made no move to touch them though, instead asking Jaune in a robotic, monotone voice, "Arc, Jaune. Authorized to access ship an area. Others, unknown. Identification required."

"These are my friends" Jaune said simply, gesturing at them and naming them each in turn. "Mountain Glenn is falling to pieces, and we're getting out of here before Atlas or the Grimm come down on our heads."

"We have orders to await Fall, Cinder and her companions. As well as the crew of the ship." The droid answered plainly, "Do you have a status update on our orders, Arc, Jaune?"

"Yes." Jaune said quickly, smiling, "Cinder is missing, and we have to get out of here before Atlas sends its forces here to retake this ship. Once we're underway, we'll try to find her and her team before departing and heading north, if we can."

It paused for a long time before nodding its faceless head, "Understood. We will begin preparations for our departure once we have finished loaded these supplies. Mainly food and water remaining, as well as medicines. Torchwick, Roman will arrive shortly. He has requested words with you."

"All right. Send him a message and tell him I'll be waiting for him here then." Jaune said, looking at his friends worriedly as they milled around him, anxiously looking at the woods, Mountain Glenn itself, and the ship as well. "And escort my friends to the guest rooms, let them get some rest and food in them."

"Understood, Arc, Jaune." The three drones addressed the assembled students, "Please, follow me and we will show you to your quarters, Ma'ams and Sirs. You may also relay to me what manner of food you would like. I will send a message to the kitchens. Addendum : Our cooking staff is absent at the moment, we are only accepting simple orders."

"I'm staying." Pyrrha asserted as the others slowly, glaring at Jaune when he opened his mouth to argue. "I spent too long and did too much to let you out of my sight, Jaune. You won't be getting away from me so easily. Now is when we have our discussion, while we wait." _Since you were so adamant about having one before, do it now."_

The silence after was awkward, but only lasted a few moments before he sighed and spoke, "I told Ozpin no. Told him to leave you and everyone else out of his… His Dust damned games." He jerked a head at his partner, "He told me he would, but I guess he lied about that."

"Ozpin told me you'd been taken, who had taken you, and asked if I wanted the strength to save you." She argued calmly, lifting her rifle in front of her as an example. " _This_ wasn't going to be enough, I understood that with half of what he was going to say to me. I knew that, and I feel you know it now. You've met directly our foes, and know that the Pyrrha you left tied to that chair would do naught to them but elicit a chuckle." " _If even that."_

" _I_ was dealing with it, trying to figure something out. Ozpin… Ozpin doesn't even know where Salem _lives_ , how on Remnant was he going to get you to where I was?" Jaune argued back hotly, gesturing around them, "That's why Blake was here, and now she's dead. Just like Amber."

"Blake was here because Ozpin asked for her help, and she agreed to it." Pyrrha dismissed easily, "Death is a part of life, and ever more so for a Huntsmen. We die. A lot, frankly. And even more so when you add in a terrorist's past and enemies." " _Reformed or not."_ "Actually," she added at that thought, "reforming probably would add more enemies on top of the normal ones she'd have to deal with. Not to mention the weight of her sins before leaving"

"Blake made mistakes." Jaune defended, gesturing at Mountain Glenn angrily, "And _this_ was not needed for her to redeem that's not the point!"

"Isn't it?" Pyrrha returned easily, smirking and raising her eyebrow at him, hip cocked and her shield-hand resting on it with the bronze disk static on her forearm. "Blake and I share something in common, Jaune. And since you can't deduce what that may be, allow me to explain." She leaned forward, almost touching the tip of her nose to his, "We made our own choices, with information we were given for goals we thought worthy." " _Just like you have done times innumerable in recent memory."_

"I just…" Jaune paused, grimacing and feeling the failings well up in his chest. A tightness constricting in him, his hands balling into fists at his sides, "I just wanted to… to…"

"Save everyone." Pyrrha finished, smiling warmly at him. He didn't sense any condecension or mockery there, but she kept talking before he could actually retort. "You are so damned eager and demanding that you save everyone around you, and yet you have the nerve to grow irate at the suggestion we'd do the same?"

"And what about Amber?" Jaune demanded, "She's dead, and for what?"

"For you, of course, Jaune." Pyrrha returned instantly, almost chidingly, as though she were explaining something simple and easy to comprehend. Turning and walking towards a crate, she hopped on top of the man-height storage container and sat, crossing her legs and looking at him with a thin, raised eyebrow, "Everything I've done thus far has been under my own volition, but for you. Any decision I made was my own, and in the service of finding you and saving you." Se chuckled, and that same chill went up Jaune's spine, "We're partners, after all." " _And I already failed you once."_

"Is that what all this is about?" Jaune asked, the woman on the crate blinking owlishly at him for a few seconds before he laughed, a bitter, harsh sound. "All of this obsessiveness-"

"I am not obsessed, Jaune!" She argued back, laughing and flinching back at the insinuation. "I am… perfectly rational. I just-"

"Ladies, ladied!" Jaune flinched, turning at Roman's voice as he sauntered down the ramp with a wide grin and his arms spread wide. "You're both pretty, so relax! Why are you all shouting? Especially considering the warzeon we're in the middle of, keeping your damn voices down might be a _bit_ more important."

"Roman?" Jaune blinked in surprise. How had he missed the man's approach? "I… Sorry, I just got so caught up in my argument I-" His eyes widened in surprise and he spun as he paid more attention to what he sensed around him, so used to ignoring the sensations radiating towards him he'd tuned out everything in the argument's heat.

"Completely missed our approach?" Cinder asked coyly, stepping out from behind one of the stacked crates with a cold smile and her arms crossed under her bust. She gave Pyrrha a look as she dropped down, eyes roving her like a piece of meat before she looked back to Jaune, "My, Jaune, I would wonder at how you got Roman, the Fall Maiden wanna-be, and your friends together, all while abandoning your job…" " _If it weren't so painfully obvious."_

"Rigged the ship, should be blocking Scroll signals." Roman growled, flicking his cane out in preparation as he joined the other two at the base of the ramp, head tilted towards Jaune slightly, "Took my own plan there. You got any now?" " _Since I seriously fucking doubt you planned on Cinder arriving."_

"Actually." Jaune returned, drawing his sword and shield before smiling thinly, "I _did_ plan on her being here."

" _What?"_

" _Why?"_

" _Oh, really? Interesting."_ "Truly?" Cinder asked, smile at first surprised and then shifting to shocked before settling on bemused finally, "So your plan, if I am right, was to gather everyone I would kill for your betrayal together, and… Hope to face me?"

"He's not that stupid-"

"Yes, that was the plan." Jaune admitted nervously, shrugging when Roman choked on the air he'd been speaking with and looked at him in shock. Jaune turned hard eyes on him, smiling confidently, "I need her out of the way before we leave. Or she'll warn our, um… Our boss, I guess, I'm coming for her, and that would ruin everything."

"You have got to be kidding me, kid!" Roman almost yelled, turning to face him and gesturing with his off had at Cinder, "You _want_ to fight her? Are you insane!" " _Oh Dust, and I bet on you too…"_

"Yes. I do." Jaune affirmed, nodding his head lightly while the woman in question watched them with a small smile. "And I need you to go and deal with Emerald, she's on the ship right now, in one of the empty medical rooms. Waiting for a good chance to pull something. Probably wanted to wait until the doctor left Neo, and then you showed up. And now a half-dozen people are up there, nearby enough to react if she tries anything on the doctor. She can't do anything without risking herself. Just to be safe though…"

Roman sighed, shaking his head and fishing out a cigar absently before tossing it aside, " _Damn doctor won't let it in the room…"_ "Fine, kid, but you damn well better-"

"I do, Roman." Jaune cut him off, rolling his shoulders to limber up as he sensed Cinder's patience waning as Roman jogged up the ramp. "And do us all a favor, Cinder, and save the theatric indignation. I did everything you people asked me, and you were still going to kill Neo for your own convenience." He sensed Roman hesitating only a moment, before moving on, "But hey, I'll give you one chance to surrender."

"And why would I do that?" She asked, laughing and gesturing around them, "Do you have an army somewhere I don't know about?"

He turned to Pyrrha and she nodded, popping her neck, "I will back you up, Jaune. Always. Just say the word and your enemies will fall before me." " _Or I will, one or the other."_

"The reason I would suggest you surrender is because if you don't," Jaune smiled, raising his shield and holdingit protectively at his side. "I will break you, just like you did to Amber. And then? I will break you more, for her."

"Ever the virtuous knight, I see." She chuckled, sighing and flicking her hands out, long scimitars forming in her outstretched hands. She smiled at him, cocking her head to the side slightly, "You should know, Jaune, that I won't kill you. But her?" She gestured toward Pyrrha with her chin, "She will die if she faces me, and I will only benefit for it." " _Attack me, and you will watch me kill her, a beaten pulp on the ground before you are dragged in front of Salem."_

"Pyrrha, I want you to stay out of this." Jaune asked, voice low and calm. She gave him a look of shock and indignation and he smiled, "Don't worry, Pyr, I'll be fine. I have everything planned out. Promise."

"Alright…" She said after a second, stepping backwards up the ramp worriedly. "You better be able to beat her, or I shan't forgive you, Jaune."

"Well, as precious as it is to watch the Maiden fret over you, especially when she's the one dying here, I'd say it is past time we get this little rebellious phase of yours dealt with." She slid into an easy, mocking almost, combat stance with her swords raised on either side and a smirk on her face. Turning her left shoulder to him for the most basic of defensive measures, she inclined her head, "Shall we? I still have to end the Maiden here, and then your little harlot as well, before we can get underway." " _And won't that feel good…"_

"You won't touch her." Jaune stated calmly, even if his heart wrenched in equal parts anger and worry at the idea of her hurting Neo, asleep in her bed.

"We'll see…" Cinder trailed off, smiling and gesturing for him to come at her, a challenge if he'd ever seen one. "Well then, come on little knight. Let's have our fun."

He nodded, raising his sword so the flat of the blade almost rested against the shield and taking a cautious step towards the amused woman. She was fast, he knew that, and her weapons were meant to shatter and be disposed of and replaced, so while he could disarm her for a moment easy as breathing, she'd summon something new before he could capitalize. She also had more experience than him fighting people, even with his recent encounters, but she and the Faunus from the castle had something in common.

He could win if they traded blows, as long as they were the _right_ blows.

With a shout, he charged her, swinging for her throat and she spun so her right shoulder faced him and put her out of reach, slashing with the same arm at his chest. He blocked and backpedaled as the sword shattered on his shield rim, and she summoned another to replace it with a flick before the shards had even hit the ground. He lunged this time and she countered, bringing one blade up to bat his aside with a flick of her wrist and swinging her off hand for his head, the blade shattering on his Aura when it hit.

Next she clapped her hands together, the haft of a spear emerging as she spread them and twirled it, a long, narrow blade at the top appearing as it spun. The blade lashed out at him rapidly, forcing him back towards the ramp until he ducked down and raised his shield, charging the woman. She leapt over him simply, and he felt the blunt end slam into his back and stagger him as he passed her, the knight almost falling before spinning.

She didn't relent in her assault, spinning the spear over her head at an angle so the blade whistled towards his chest threateningly as she forced him back, until Jaune grimaced and stepped in the way, turning so it struck his breastplate with a screech of glass on steel and shattered. He took the opportunity to push towards her with his shield, raising his sword overhead. She waited until he was close, blasting his shield with a ball of fire and using the force to push herself a foot back for space, while he slammed into a metal container ten away, sinking to his knees and coughing as he tried to regain his breath.

"Come on, Jaune." Cinder teased him as he forced himself upright, shaking her head as she summoned a long knife in her right hand. "I know, and you do as well, that you can't win. Even with the Maiden's help, and you've refused that. So just give up, and maybe I'll give your whore a painless death." " _Though letting her off the machines would be so more satisfying… Watching her writhe when the morphine wears off."_

"I refused to let her fight." He admitted, looking past Cinder and at Pyrrha, the champion's face etched in worry and her knuckles white on her weapon's grip. " _Not_ to let her _help._ There's a difference." She blinked in surprise, thoughts racing for a moment before smiling hesitantly and nodding. Cinder turned, looking at her, and Jaune spoke again, "You should have figured out by now, I'm unpredictable. It's all I have."

"What are you-"

Jaune lunged again, stabbing at her stomach and spinning, slashing at her head before spinning again and kicking the woman in the chest. Surprise slammed into him from her, almost breaking his connection to Pyrrha, and he keeps up his assault, slamming shield, blade and his legs into her over and over, driving her to frustration as she staggered away weakly.

After a minute of the irritating, useless attacks scratching away at her, she figured out the trick and hurled a fireball at Pyrrha, "Enough!"

The Mistralian leapt away, the white-painted steel under her scorching black as Cinder turned, summoning two swords and forcing Jaune into defending himself, relentlessly slamming the blade against his shield, sword and even armor, shattering with each hit only to be replaced by a mirror image of it for the next as she hammered away at his defense until is back pressed against a steel container.

He made to move forward, his shield snapping up part in instinct from himself, and part intuition from Pyrrha and Cinder alike, a black knife embedding in the steel with enough force to knock him back physically against the container again, a furious Cinder standing a few feet away, outstretched arm falling and flicking to summon another sword yet again. She raised an eyebrow and he used his sword to dislodge the knife, the point standing a centimeter out of the steel.

"You really should give in, Jaune, before you get hurt." He sensed her aggravation and concern, and knew the cause of both. If he kept pushing forwards like this, she'd have to do something more serious to stop him. And Salem might not appreciate it. Sighing, he let the shield drop off his arm, gripping his sword in both hands, and Cinder rolled her eyes, "Fine, keep resisting, be my guest. And the very first of your pathetic friends I see, will never see anything again."

He ignored her and grit his teeth, rushing towards her with his sword gripped in front of him and she sighed, aiming a lunge at his chest to force him to deflect.

The strength of will needed to force his Aura aside took a lot of his focus, and doubly so not to defend himself as the blade bit into his stomach and he let his sword drop to the ground with a dull thud, pressing his chest against Cinder's and wrapping an arm around her waist to hold her there, dripping surprise as his blood dripped down her arm. Grunting, he met her eyes, close enough to see her pupils reacting to the closeness.

"I win, I guess." She blinked and he reached up with his other arm, grabbing a fistfull of her hair and pressing his palm to her head as he did so, "Now, you will obey me,for your entire life."

The woman spasmed in his grip, hands releasing the weapons they hand and letting one shatter on the ground, arms wrapping around him numbly and squeezing as her legs gave out and he held her, ignoring the pain in his stomach as her eyes trembled, searching for something in his before starting to dull and glaze over.

"W-What are you…" " _No, no, no, what is this?"_ He sensed her try to move, smiling as panic swamped her, forcing his power ever deeper into her mind,rewriting it. " _No, you're… Not my mind, please! What are you doing to me?"_

"Fixing you." Jaune said shortly, feeling his Aura sap as he ravaged her mind, "And destroying you too, while I'm in there."

"N-No…. I…." Her eyes slid closed, her thoughts fading as he released her and she collapsed to the ground with a thud, Jaune staggering back and almost falling before Pyrrha wrapped her arms around him, a hand gingerly touching at his wound worriedly while Cinder whimpered. "P-Please… not… that…"

"Jaune!" Pyrrha shouted in his ear worriedly, turning to look at the ramp into the ship, eyes searching for something to help him with. When that failed, she turned to looking for something to carry him on, flinching when Cinder rolled over and sluggishly stood, staggering a bit and looking around drunkenly for a moment."Don't worry, I'll protect you, Jaune."

"No need." He grunted, smiling at her and speaking louder, "Cinder, got get my shield for me."

She looked at him, blinking a few times owlishly before her eyes cleared and she nodded, smiling, "Of course, Master." He almost laughed when Pyrrha watched the woman, mouth open in shock, saunter by them to retrieve the weapon. She raised an eyebrow when he took the weapon from her, "Now, would you like me to remove that, or are you content to leave him bleeding out?"

"U-Uh, I…"

"She's my puppet, Pyrrha." Jaune explained, tapping his head and reclining against her chest, looking up at her tiredly, "Part of my Semblance, turns out. I can rewrite a person's mind into doing things for me."

"That's…"

"Master, you're still bleeding out." Cinder chided lightly, kneeling and resting a hand against the blade, "Allow me to remove this, and we can get you onto the ship for medical attention." She spoke in the same confident, silky tone, raising her eyebrow teasingly. "May I?" " _Unless you enjoy your current position a bit too much…"_

"Yes." Jaune granted, moving the blade aside and letting her grab the handle, looking at him in a worried, deferential way. Like a dog, almost, worrying over her owner. An apt comparison now. "Just get it over with. Don't care if it hurts."

She nodded, using her Semblance to dissolve everything sticking out his back and yanking the grip and what of the blade had lodged itself inside of him. He grunted, groaning loudly, and Cinder looked at Pyrrha, "Lay him on his back, girl, and put pressure on the entry wound. I'll fetch the doctor."

And then he blacked out, smiling at the victory.

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 _ **Zenith Tempest :**_

 **AT RISK OF SOUNDING RUDE, reread her sections. Specifically, the theme each had. Sacrifice, death, dying for a cause. I love Blake, but while she gets a less bloody redemption in canon, this is hers here. She ran away from what she made in Adam, and then died stopping him taking more lives. Because dying to save others is worthwhile. That was her theme, and a note of foreshadowing has existed in the last ten chapters with her for that reason.**

 **P.S. She won't be teh last~**

 _ **The Impossible Muffin :**_

 **Yeah, I know a few peeps like that. And yes, you will get a bit more reaction from Jaune to Pyrrha, more so in the next chapter. Kind of an absorption time.**

 _ **Cat Poster :**_

 **Ozpin is done for this fic, but for the purposes you need… He chooses Oscar.**

 _ **Scott USA 1 :**_

 **Well, that's a boring reaction~**


	44. Ship Board, Battle Bound

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 _ **Official Supporters:**_

 **SleeplessShippings**

 **Shadie**

 **Emperor King Perby**

 _ **If you want your name on the lists of my stories and videos, head over to P a t. R e . o n and search for the Temple Walkers. Just let us know you're from Fanfiction, alright? There's a thousand of you, so a dollar a piece would really add up and help me a lot! Once I reach five hundred Supporters of any value over a dollar, I will make a concerted effort to put out a chapter of something once every three days at the very slowest.**_

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The first sensations Jaune felt as he returned to the world weren't his own, something he was more than used to. The ship was swamped in a tense anxiety and stiff nervousness, but even as his sensor range expanded he didn't find anyone but his friends… Well, plus Roman and Cinder, of course. The former in the room next to his with a agitated feeling woman and a concerned one,and the latter next to him, worried and afraid for him as much as for herself, and he got the distinct sense that the two were linked feelings.

He groaned audiby, forcing his eyes open and blinking at the light of the room, and Cinder reacted almost instantly, leaping to her feet and rushing to turn the light off, "Is that better, master?" " _Stupid, stupid! I should have left the light off for him to rest."_

"Better." He grunted, looking around the mostly empty and shadowy room. Several machines were pushed against the wall, and a cart with his armor and shirt on top of it and baskets of supplies below that was off to his left. He watched Cinder slide into a chair on the other side, his right, and looked at her, "What happened?"

"We boarded the ship once you lost consciousness ,and I saw to it that you were treated for your… injuries, Master. I have been in here since, but Roman told me he'd have us fly over the forests between Vale and Vacuo, and head for the deserts of Vacuo." She explained quickly, folding her hands on her lap and sitting with her back straight in her chair respectfully. Almost like she was addressing a superior in some military installation… Which she was in a way, he supposed. "I… have been avoiding everyone else, for fear of starting an altercation." _Even if the red haired girl and I worked together to keep the doctor aboard…"_

"The doctor tried to leave?" He asked, taking a breath and wincing when his ribs stretched his protesting skin and muscle, still stitching together with the help of his Aura under bandages that wrapped around his stomach and chest protectively. He coughed, his lungs constricting involuntarily, "W-Why did she want to leave?"

"Because she is a member of the White Fang, Master." She shrugged weakly, "She wished to help her group, whatever the result for herself may be. I would have let her be, but…"

"But?"

"You needed to be treated, master." She said simply, smiling in a sort of satisfied way, a touch of that sultry demeanor left over from her older self. "I couldn't let her just leave, or you might have died, and I don't know what I've had done if that happened, master. I need you."

A responsibility he'd have to bear, he feared, sighing tiredly. "Yeah, makes sense I guess. I just...feel bad for you forcing her to stay, I guess. I dunno." He sighed.

"Are you… upset with me, master?" She asked innocently tilting her head, pouting and shrinking into herself more akin to Ruby when Weiss would scold her than the dangerous, fierce, devastating warrior Cinder he'd fought behind their ship, honest and pure fear roiling out of her harsh enough and suddenly enough Jaune almost choked at it. "I-I only intended to serve you master. I…"

"N-No!" He almost shouted, flailing his arms in panic - mostly a reaction to her own sudden fear and anxiety, driving into him as far and as deep as her blades had - before coughing and grabbing at his side where he lay, grimacing and letting out a strained puff of air from his nose before continuing. "I'm… not angry at you. Just angry at the… the circumstances, I guess."

"Y-You're not angry?" He nodded and felt, as well as saw in her body language, the relief she took from that information.

"No, Cinder." Not for that, at least, and… Not at her. She was more than different at this point, she was almost an entirely new person. A _different_ person from the last one, the other Cinder. Perhaps he'd overdone it, but in the moment, with his blood flowing in several senses and the adrenaline pumping through him,swamped by foreign emotions...

He'd need to treat her differently then.

"I'm glad, master. I was worried." She smiled,relaxing only slightly into her seat before fishing her Scroll out of her cleavage where it was stored… somewhere and somehow. "I haven't reported to Salem as yet either, master. I… did not know what you would wish me to report." " _Or even if, honestly."_

A thousand and one things shot through his mind at that, from Vale and Beacon and everyone in both, to Ansel and his family and everyone they knew, and even Salem's own castle. Mii, and all the other 'servants' forced into servitude there. He'd scarcely thought about them since leaving, more concerned with the battles coming down the pipe, his friends, Neo… His attention, torn in a thousand directions, had already cost Blake her life. With his Semblance, he should have known her intentions, even if she'd bee avoiding thinking of them for whatever reason, or even if she'd made the decision at the last moment.

Failing to plan that out had cost someone their life, and he needed to learn from that a _small_ lapse in judgement could cost him... Or more likely, someone else, dearly.

"Report to her that the plans in Mountain Glenn were foiled, if she watches any news feeds she'll learn about the battle soon enough whatever the case. Report whatever you did-"

"I killed Ozpin, but I didn't accomplish much else before you beat me, master." She offered, making him flinch at the earnestness and frankness in her voice. The sheer desire to be helpful in her voice and intent…

"T-then tell her that." He continued, swallowing nervously when he remembered how _potent_ she was as a fighter. "And tell her we managed to beat back my friends and… and capture them."

"And what of my former team, master?" She asked quickly, looking almost shy at interrupting once again when Jaune turned on him. He raised an eyebrow, out of curiosity as to her meaning, and she took it as a reprimand instead. "S-Sorry, master, I d-didn't mean to interrupt so rudely. I was merely trying to…"

"Cinder, Cinder, it's fine." He sighed, shaking his head and running a hand through his hair, "Just… Interrupting is fine, if you need to. Only if you _need to_ of course. Just relax."

"Y-Yes, master." She swallowed nervously, twirling a hair around a finger and avoiding eye contact with him, " _I have such a kind master…"_ "They are in two interior rooms, master. The doors are locked and drones are guarding them, four for each, and the rooms are at the far ends of hallways. When I met them, I… acted as my former, foolish self and demanded their Scrolls. They gave them to me, and then I ordered the drones to arrest them." _They resisted, or Mercury did at least. But I was able to best that pathetic fool easily enough…"_ "A-After that, I didn't know what to do with them."

"You did well, thank you." He smiled, and she mirrored the gesture nervously, a spike of warm pride pricking in her mind at his praise. "Report to Salem that they were killed at Mountain Glenn, make up a reason good enough for it. One she'll accept, and then place more guards on them. Once we're safe enough from Vale to do it, start heading north, towards Salem."

"Salem will demand to know of your condition, and Lady Neopoloitan's as well, master." She said, addressing Neo with almost the same level of respect as himself. Because they were together? He didn't know, and she continued on before he could think to ask. "What shall I report of them, master?" " _She wanted Neo dead before our return, after all."_

"Report… Report that you killed her and disposed of the body then. And that you pinned it o Atlas, and I flew into a rage." He gestured at his body, grimacing lightly, "That will explain away my wounds as well. If she presses for details, you are free to make up whatever you wish, as long as it is hard to prove."

"Yes, master." She inclined her head politely, smiling ever-so-slightly and awaiting more instructions or demands. After a second, Jaune nodded, "Alright… How is Neo doing then? We got the medicine she needed, right?"

"Yes, master. The doctor is with her now, and when I asked earlier, she said that she should be awake soon enough." That explained why she was just milling about in the next room then, instead of moving around, or even coming to check on her other patient. "I-If you like, I can fetch her and she can give you a better report?"

He actually and honestly considered it for a moment before shaking his head, "No... No, she's tending to Neo, and that's more important." She grimaced and he sensed her disagreement, but she didn't voice it and he didn't press her, "I… would enjoy something to eat, however. And maybe to visit my friends?"

She stood and moved to the door, pushing it open and - he assumed since he didn't sense anyone - spoke to a drone, "Can you notify everyone aside from the prisoners that master Jaune would like to see them and have a meal?"

"Yes, Fall, Cinder. Relaying message through the networks immediately." She waited several seconds, leaning out the door and making Jaune have to turn to void a view that bordered on what he considered moral, before the two of them heard the voice again, "Messages relayed, Fall, Cinder. Rose, Ruby is en route to see him. We requested she not, and her response was incomprehensible."

"Why?" Cinder asked.

"Her speed of movement was such that the sound warped." It explained, after a moment adding, "Here she is."

"Jaune!" She half squealed, nearly knocking Cinder over before the woman could leap to the side, appearing at his shoulder in a flurry of rose petals, checking every inch of his chest that she could see over the blanket's edge before looking at him in relief, "Jaune, we were all worried about you." " _After you stabbed yourself!"_

"I'm fine, Ruby." He chuckled dryly, looking past her at Cinder and raising his chin, "Cinder, help me out of the bed? I can't bend much, it hurts when I shift my ribs around too much. I'm fine-" he added with a raised finger at Ruby to ask her to wait a minute when her mouth opened,and she pouted and rubbed her index fingers together, "-I just want help up to _stay_ fine, you know?"

"O-Okay.." She said, pouting and shifting her legs awkwardly, avoiding his gaze, "Just be careful…" " _She's the one who hurt you,why would you ask her? I'm right here!"_

Sighing, he made a snap decision and used the information.

Cinder leaned down, gripping under his shoulders gently and helping him sit up, and he looked over his bare shoulder at Ruby, who was blushing furiously and avoiding looking at him, and smiled, "Ruby, help me stand up? Wanna make sure I can keep my balance, and nothing is wrong."

He felt the satisfaction she felt at the gesture, the small girl flitting around the bed and helping him stand while Cinder watched worriedly and mildly irritated, her lips pursed slightly and eyes narrow while he leaned against the blushing teen until he felt 'confident' that he could handle standing. Or, well, until he felt Ruby was willing to back off and calm down now that she'd helped.

He stopped to reach for his breastplate but Ruby got in front of him, flashing past the other two larger people with petals flying and slamming a palm against it, "Nope! No armor! You're too hurt, Jaune." " _And the muscles are nice…"_ "C-Cinder! Back me up, okay?"

Sensing her chance to pave over her 'previous self' as she'd put it somewhat, Cinder leaned forward, "I-I must agree with her, master. Your injuries aren't conducive to wearing plate armor. I-I mean, I don't have a spare shirt for you, I didn't think to look for one when I boarded with you, I'm sorry master. I could-"

" _Master?"_ Ruby realized after a second, surprised thoughts racing through her, " _What did Jaune do to her?"_

"No!" Jaune said quickly, looking over his shoulder at Cinder as he stepped towards and out the door into the hallway, "E-Even if you found something, it'd be White Fang gear. I don't want to dress up as a terrorist. Not anymore, not after everything. Now, Cinder, go and make your report to Salem."

"Yes, master."She said, stepping past him and bowing her head slightly before turning and walking away, irritation roiling off of her at being sent away. And Ruby too to an extent, he noticed. Was she jealous he'd had her help him?

Things were just getting complicated… Never simpler, never easier.

"She calls you her master?" Ruby asked after a second, walking next to him down the hall. He'd considered visiting Neo for a moment, but he sensed she was still sleeping under the doctor's watchful gaze. Ruby nudged him when he hummed an acknowledgement, "Why does she do that, Jaune?" " _It's weird…"_

"I…" He almost lied, partially out of instinct and habit but mostly out of his own fear. He knew how his Semblance looked to most people, Pyrrha even had mentioned it. And felt the fear he knew others would have, aside from Salem and her group. He'd never sensed most of their feelings, but greed was likely there. "It's part of my Semblance, Ruby."

"Your Semblance?" She asked curiously, head tilting to the side.

"Yeah, it's…" He sighed, resting a hand on his abdomen where Cinder had stabbed him. "It's a bad one. I won't get too into it, I want to tell everyone at once. But it let me… control her, change her mind a bit, I guess."

"That… I mean, a Semblance can be anything I guess… Even if it's… Kinda..." " _Even if it seems evil."_ She trailed off awkwardly, swallowing nervously and unconsciously stepping an inch away from him. "I-I mean, yours is cool, I just, um…"

"It's evil, Ruby." He said, sighing and shaking his head as they turned to head down a flight of stairs, "The things I can do are… Wrong, but I have to use it. _Have_ had to use it, at least, just to survive and keep the people I care about safe."

She was quiet after that, her mind racing with thoughts he forced himself not to hear. Soon, they reached the area the crew used, or had used at least, to eat. The roof was lower then one would necessarily like, only a foot over their heads, and the room itself was a stark white with the same sterile paint-style and lighting as used elsewhere. A White Fang symbol was painted in red at the far end from the door he stood in, a dozen burns scorched into its surface from - something he was sure was entirely unrelated to them in every way.

That Yang was reloading her Ember Celica near to him was entirely irrelevant.

"Jaune!" Pyrrha called, waving him over to where everyone was sitting. She'd saved him a spot between herself and Ren, Nora on Ren's other side. Ruby sat next to him as he joined them, Weiss next to her and Yang on the furthest side. "How are you feeling, Jaune? Your wound is well, yes?" " _Why are you already out of bed? You should have rested more, Jaune. That wound was serious, even if it is survivable."_

He sighed, and groaned as well, as he slid into his seat beside her, "I was hungry and… Well, all of you are here and I won't take you where I'm going. Not unless you know what is happening, and how, and why."

"Jaune, you don't have to-"

"Yes, Pyrrha, I do." Jaune argued, turning to glare at her. She blinked at it, nodding and turning to gaze at the table forlornly. He almost regretted that, grimacing before looking at the others, "I can't plan this out by myself, even if some of you want to leave. Not talking to people, not planning ahead well enough… It killed Blake, I didn't anticipate what she did. I didn't stop her. I won't let that happen again."

"Kind of late for that." " _Since she's already fucking dead…"_ He looked at Yang, as did everyone really, and she sighed, "I mean, she's d-... Gone now, so… Why bother?"

"Because it was a mistake." He answered instantly, frowning and looking at her, "My… My Semblance was overpowering me, and I wasn't thinking straight, so I… I messed up. And I don't want to do that again. I don't want any of you to get hurt, not because I didn't tell you something."

"Jaune, what happened to Blake isn't your fault." Ruby tried to argue.

"Yes, it fucking is." Yang growled loudly, slamming a gauntleted fist against the table, "She was there. Why? Because of him. She blew herself up because of a plan _his_ cronies were working on! Pyrrha, you were _hospitalized_ by his new friend in the other room up on the medical floor or… Or whatever that is!"

"I was _kidnapped_ Yang!" He snapped loudly, "They took me against my will, held my entire… My hometown over my head like a damn guillotine! They told me, flat out, I do as they say or they destroy it. Then they'd come for each one of you, one after another!" He shook his head, resting a hand against his forehead as memories hit him, "The… The things they thought of, the images…"

"Jaune's Semblance," Pyrrha started quietly, "is mind reading. He can read anyone's thoughts, from far away if he tries hard enough. He even… This all started because he… Well…"

"I read a Grimm's mind, when I first had my Aura activate at Initiation, and-"

"Wait, you didn't have _Aura_ at Initiation?" Nora asked in surprise, before Ren elbowed her, "What? It's important! I wanna know, Renny. He'd have to be super badass to make it to Initiation without Aura, right?" " _How could he lack Aura in Initiation? I had to demonstrate mine."_

"I… Faked my transcripts to get in." He admitted with a sigh, avoiding their eyes even as a barrage of thoughts slammed into him. Curious, accusatory, angry, indignant and more. "I was just desperate! I, ever since I was a kid I wanted to be a Huntsmen. It was everything to me, but… But my father wouldn't train me, so I did it on my own. I worked out, ran, exercised, read what I could. But… Well, my dad didn't let me attend the school at Ansel. The Hunter one, I mean."

"And since you never attended, you never read up on Aura." Weiss finished for him, sighing, "I suppose that makes sense… Many 'normal schools', civilian ones I mean, they lack any Hunter information." " _So he'd have never known about it…"_

"And when you heard about all the special powers Hunters used?" Ren asked drly.

"I assumed it was tech." He admitted honestly, "I mean, honestly, the stuff coming out of Atlas and even Vale always… I mean, our militia had _spears_ Weiss. Spears and shields to ward off Grimm attacks. And then, when I was nine, a huge herd of Beowolfs were trying to wipe us out, and my family were all scared, my dad was fighting and… In comes this random woman with two little knives that shoot out the tips, flipping and blowing them up… Just the weapons and the tech seem like magic. _Seemed_ like it, at least."

"And you never asked, because you assumed…" Ruby started, biting her lip nervously, "And, um, since everyone _else_ assumed that you already knew and had yours unlocked, no one unlocked it." " _Which makes sense…"_

"Until I unlocked it in the forest, yes." Pyrrha added, nodding and sighing as she tried to explain what they'd encountered a lifetime ago, "Then he… 'felt' something in a Grimm, like a directive or a… I don't know. Jaune?"

"It was a presence, behind the Grimm. Watching, observing, giving it a… A basic sort of direction." He explained, "It was a woman, named Salem. She… I don't know, honestly, but she commands Grimm. She has a… castle, up north. On the northern continent. It's why you almost definitely encountered Grimm out there, in the forest."

"Bull fucking shit." Yang snapped, throwing her arms in the air and shaking her blonde head. "You expect me to believe there's some… 'Queen of the Grimm'? Why? Because you say so? You just admitted you're a fraud, so why would I?" " _I'm not going to get jerked around by this limp-"_

"-dicked, lying, piece of shit who got Blake killed." Jaune finished, reading out her thoughts as he heard them coming. She blinked in surprise, the words parroted as she'd thought them, and he raised an eyebrow, "That's what you were thinking, right? So, explain why Ozpin would have enough interest in me to send Blake after me then?"

"I don't know, but-"

"No?" He asked, rising and leaning onto the large, round table, "How about why Cinder, and the White Fang, tolerated me so much? Why they listened, enough so as to lean on me for two raids? Three, including this battle." He waited for her to answer, the blonde just looking up at him surprisedly, "Because Yang, I'm… I'm sorry, but I have been through hell in a hundred ways. I have _felt_ myself die hundreds of times. You know what that's like?"

"N-No, I…"

"No. You don't know, but I do." He said quietly, sliding into his seat and boring a hole into her forehead with his eyes. "I also know what it feels like to do specific things, die in specific ways. Neo almost did, one of those friends you mentioned? Leapt between me and an Atlesian soldier, using an axe that electrified a person's body so badly, the muscle and flesh, and skin and tendons spasm and explode. The pain…" He shivered at the memory, "So don't… Don't ignore that this is complicated, and let me tell the story."

No one interrupted him after that. Even when food came. Even when Cinder joined them, sitting at a table nearby and watching him protectively. They all sat, listening quietly and intently, as he explained to them his every act. Every violation, every fight, every decision, and every friend made. Aside from thoughts held, but… They couldn't help that.

When he finally left, leaving them to their thoughts and the decision they had to make, Cinder followed closely on his heels, "Master, are you-"

"I am just fine, Cinder." He growled, sighing when she flinched back and shrunk into herself. Sighing, he continued, "Sorry, just the stress. I… shouldn't have snapped."

"It's alright, master." She said quietly, and Jaune was reminded again of what he'd made of her. A meek puppy of a woman, made out of the warrior she'd been. "I… I should have known you'd be stressed out. I could… help, you know." An image flashed into his mind from her, Cinder on her knees for him bare of even a stitch, ready to comply to his every demand, eager to please her new master in any way he could ask, on her knees, her hands or her back even.

He shook his head to clear it, "No, Cinder. I… No." Sighing, he continued down the hallway, "Let's go see Neo, okay? I want to check up on her. She's… the only one I'm interested in like that."

"Oh." She said, embarrassed to an extreme. "I'm… Sorry master, I didn't mean any offence." " _Dust, I didn't even consider her… Not that she compares to my body, of course."_ "S-Sorry, master, I didn't mean that."

"Yes, you did." He said with a groan, shaking the image further out of his head. "And that's fine Cinder, your thoughts are your own."

"But-"

"No arguing, Cinder Fall. That is an order." He snapped, exercising the authority he held over her. It felt good, much as he hated it when he realize why he was feeling that satisfaction. He quashed it down with a sigh, "I won't broach that territory."

They completed the journey in silence after that, until they reached Neo's door.

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 _ **Scott USA 1 :**_

 **Consider that table flipped, yes.**

 _ **The Impossible Muffin :**_

 **Interesting image. Kinda like it.**

 _ **Forsaken Teddy :**_

 **Dayum, dude. Glad you enjoy it so much. Makes me happy to hear. Er, well, read.**

 _ **Wyatt Moore :**_

 **Good, such was my hope. Be afraid, muahahaha~!**

 _ **Ryu the Reaper :**_

 **N-No, never, nuh-uh, naaaaaah…**

 _ **The Gun Master :**_

 **Maybe~**

 _ **Sorry no Names :**_

 **I aim to please, and surprise, wherever I can.**

 _ **Duplicate User Name :**_

 **Boo~ Someone guessed my intent…**

 _ **Hikari Niwa :**_

 **Gonna need you to explain that one.**

 _ **Stephenadezio :**_

 **Kinda, yeah.**

 _ **Blazeinhothead :**_

 **Perv~**

 _ **Splithaven :**_

 **Would be, but too spoilery.**

 _ **SD Phantom 10 :**_

 **Good. Tis a compliment when one wishes to test the limits of a character.**

 _ **Hydroknight505 :**_

 **Shush~ Even if you were mildly right.**

 _ **Merlin of Tarre :**_

 **Glad you enjoyed it.**

 _ **Flametusk :**_

 **Yeah, kind of a bad way to go.**

 _ **Bukkake no Jutsu :**_

 **Best summary of my stories~**

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 **Twisted ~ So, we lost our studio. We're working on trying to get a house to make one of our own but any new Supporters, even temporary ones until we're set up, would be appreciated. We're… not sure what to do, honestly, without. I mean, even I used it as a place to work quietly and without interruptions.**

 **Sucks.**

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	45. Together

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 _ **Official Supporters:**_

 **SleeplessShippings**

 **Shadie**

 **Emperor King Perby**

 _ **If you want your name on the lists of my stories and videos, head over to P a t. R e . o n and search for the Temple Walkers. Just let us know you're from Fanfiction, alright? There's a thousand of you, so a dollar a piece would really add up and help me a lot! Once I reach five hundred Supporters of any value over a dollar, I will make a concerted effort to put out a chapter of something once every three days at the very slowest.**_

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"I've taken her off the medications that kept her under, I did that last night actually. She's sleeping under her own power now, and should wake up soon enough." The doctor explained tiredly, frustration and grief echoing out of her and into Jaune powerfully. As well as a palpable fear, flavored a way he was unused to. "She's still weak, and her back is going to be sensitive, but she should be fully healed by the end of the weak." " _Unless she rips her wounds open again."_ "You'll need to be gentle with her, for a time, and I'll… Need to be around, to check up on her, too." " _So you can't kill me, or turn me in… Shit, he could just get a different doctor."_

"Thank you, Doctor." Jaune said simply, sitting beside Neo and holding her hand, his thumb making circles on the back of her hand absent-mindedly. He smiled when she twitched, her fingers coiling slightly in a dream. "I… am sorry you had to be forced to stay. I couldn't risk Neo though." He felt Cinder stiffen behind him and continued, "While I stand by that decision, I want you to understand I won't let you face harm for it. _Or_ Atlesian prison."

"I…" The doctor hesitated, surprise in her voice and mind, holding her clipboard tighter in her hand for a moment before relaxing slightly. "Thank you, Jaune. I… Thank you."

"Master, if I may?" Cinder asked cautiously, the younger man nodding at her curtly, "If the good doctor wishes to leave, we could always deposit her somewhere near Vale. Close enough for her to be safe, of course." " _Assuming you wish to release her, of course."_ "I, uh, I would recommend against it, master. She is quite useful to have aboard."

" _She_ is not my slave, Cinder." He said, turning more fully to look at her over his right shoulder, and adding emphasis to the 'she'. "She may leave if she wants to, I won't force her to stay."

"I-I understand, master, I merely…" Cinder cut herself off, sighing and bowing her head, "I am sorry for my impudence." " _I merely wanted to keep her around to care for Lady Neo…"_

Jaune sighed, that disturbed feeling coming back, and rubbed the back of his neck with his other hand, "I'm sorry, Doctor, she just wants to keep Neo and I taken care of. You know? Cinder is actually very protective and nurturing, when she wants to be."

"M-Master!" Cinder flushed behind him, making the young man smirk, "You're embarrassing me!"

"I'm going to go and fetch myself some food, I shouldn't be long." The doctor said, chuckling in spite of herself as Jaune felt her tension ebb away. "I-If that's-"

"Go and get some food, Doctor." Jaune interrupted, smiling warmly at her. "We'll keep an eye on Neo, so feel free to stretch your legs and rest a bit while you're out. Don't worry about it either, I'll send a drone for you if we need anything."

"Very well." She said, checking the clipboard once again and chewing her lip for a moment before attaching it to the foot of the bed and looking over Neo. Turning to the door after several quiet minutes of checking the girl and equipment, she spoke again, "She should wake up soon. If she does, you need to send for me immediately. And make sure she stays in bed and doesn't move around too much. And-"

"Relax, Doctor, we won't do anything or let her leave." Jaune assured her, smirking. She nodded and left, and Jaune turned to look at Cinder. "You go stand by the door, Neo will probably try to bolt. You'll need to get her legs."

"Alright, master." Cinder said hesitantly, moving to the door and leaning on the wall by it with her arms crossed. "But, if I may ask… Why would she run?" " _Especially waking up with you nearby…"_ "She should be calm. Relaxed."

"She was knocked out in a warzone, Cinder." He explained simply, reaching out with his left hand to touch her forehead and smiling bitterly when she turned her face towards him on instinct. A reaction to the touch. "She's… having a bad dream about it, actually."

"She is?"

"Yeah." Jaune said quietly, resting his palm against her cheek and squeezing her hand reassuringly when he felt and saw what she did. Himself, falling as that Atlesian's axe bit into him and slammed him into the dirt. "About me dying, just now, because she was too slow to react."

"I see." Cinder said simply, the two of them falling into an odd silence after that. Neither a cold,and awkward one nor a happy, comfortable one. "You know… I knew he was there, that man. Not him specifically of course, but-"

"I know, Cinder, but that wasn't you." Jaune cut her off, smiling warmly at her and surprising the woman. He could have told as much just by looking at her, even without feeling it himself from her. "I knew, or at least I suspected, right away. I _knew_ later on. But that wasn't the new you, that was the old you. You're a different person, I made damn sure of that, so just drop it."

It was a sore spot for him, enough so that he almost let his control slip and fell into an emotional state that would put them all at danger. And he wouldn't lie and say he wasn't taking it out on her at least a bit. He felt he had the right, given what she had been and even what she was now, but when she flinched he still felt bad. And the silence they slipped into this time was definitely an uncomfortable and awkward one for several minutes before he could bring himself to speak again.

"I'm sorry, Cinder, I shouldn't have snapped at you like that." He sighed weakly, "I'm just… Overwhelmed, and I don't have any _time_ to get it out, not the way I need to. It's just... a lot to deal with, on top of everyone else's problems."

"And through it all, you still try to save everyone." Cinder mused, almost sounding like her older self, a pantomime of the sarcasm and cold lack of care she'd had, her head tilted to the side so her hair fell across her face partially covering her eyes while she stared at him. She smiled a small smile, an eyebrow raised, "Both the new and old me respected you for that, Jaune. I feel you should know that." " _No other can say or claim to have ever stared down Salem and not blinked as you did, much less made demands of her outright."_

"Really?" Jaune asked, surprised. When she nodded, straightening back up and leaning against the wall again, he continued, "I mean, I always sensed some… I guess begrudging respect from her. You." He groaned, "Ugh, it's confusing."

"A bit, yes, to me especially." Cinder admitted with a low, weak chuckle. "It's… Hard to wrap my head around, I guess. I remember everything, and I know what you did to me, but… I'm fine with it."

"Because I made you be that way." Jaune argued.

"True, you made me be okay with what you did." She admitted, "But that doesn't change that I _am_ okay with it. No one holds it against you but yourself, master. And… And I am happier, I think, being this way."

"You are?" He asked idly, partially honestly curious about how her mind was working - what he'd done to her he didn't fully understand, like many things to do with his Semblance's effects - and partially just to pass the time. "Why do you say that, Cinder?"

"Because… Because before you did what you did, I was so _angry_ all the time. And I didn't let anyone near me, not in any real way that matters. I just…" She flailed her hands in front of her, looking for the right words to express herself for a moment, "Used people up and threw them away. They were tools for me to move myself forward, and I treated them like trash." " _And I was a tool of Salem's as well…"_

"Aren't you my tool now, though?" He asked quietly, glancing up and down the woman for any sign of discomfort at that fact. When he found none, he sighed, "Shouldn't that… bother you? Like, at all?"

"Maybe, maybe not." Cinder said with a shrug, "I don't care though, so it doesn't matter, master. I am happy as I am now." " _And if you respect my opinions as much as you seem, that ought to be enough."_

She had a point there, he had to admit that much. If he was willing to live with her like this, and wanted to even pretend to respect her individuality - or at least what was left of it - then he had to let her make up her own mind. And then he had to accept that as being true, whatever she decided, at least for herself. What he'd done may have been wrong, but he did it for the right reasons… and the victim seemed willing to forgive him.

He had no right to ask for anything beyond that.

He almost missed it when she started to wake up, she woke so quickly and suddenly that it took him by surprise even when he sensed it starting to happen, and he shot to his feet when she tried to rise, pressing a hand against her chest and holding her down gently, "Neo, relax, you're fine!"

She struggled for a second before calming down, " _J-Jaune? What happened?"_

He held up a had to wave Cinder away when she approached, "You got hurt badly... really badly, it was horrible the way you... We got you to the doctor though, she treated you as best she could but… Your Aura was too depleted, so you've been healing the natural way."

" _I thought I was going to die…"_ Neo sighed, Jaune sitting on the edge of her bed and holding her hand. She squeezed it, smiling and looking at him with pale pink eyes, " _What happened to the Atlesian though?"_

"Emerald helped me and, uh," he shrugged, smiling at her, "I killed him."

" _Oh…"_ She grimaced, looking away from him, " _That must have been hell for you… I'm sorry, Jaune."_

"It was to save you." He said simply, dismissing the concern with a shrug of his shoulders. "I don't, and won't ever, mind what needs to be done to protect you, Neo." She smirked, and thought a lewd thought, and he smirked back, "No, not because you have the nicest ass this side of Vacuo. _That's_ just a bonus."

She laughed her silent laugh, shoulders trembling gently, and smiled up at him, " _How long was I asleep?"_

"A couple weeks, almost." He admitted after a second, squeezing her hand when she started to freak out. "It's fine, nothing bad happened. Just relax. Roman and I are both perfectly alright, and he's with us."

" _On the ship?"_

"Yeah." Jaune answered, "He's piloting it right now, I think. I'll send him down to see you later. We have to get some distance from Mountain Glenn." She raised an eyebrow at him and he sighed, "There was a… bit of a battle there. I used it to get all of us out."

" _A battle?!"_ She mentally screamed, trying to rise again. Jaune leaned over her, holding her shoulders down, and she glared at him, " _Let go."_

"No." He answered sternly, staring down at her, "If you move too much, your back could rip open again and you'll be out for another week at least. We got away, no one is chasing us, and we're perfectly safe right now. So relax."

She relaxed after a second and he got off her, returning to his seat, and she smiled at him, " _Who told you to get off?"_

He blushed in spite of himself and she chuckled, the blonde shaking his head at her and reclining with his arms crossed, "I would… But you're too brittle right now, Neo. The doctor said that you could rip open just walking around."

" _Fine…"_ She sighed, smiling at him after a second, " _Is a kiss too rough then? As long as you're gentle, of course. Have to be careful with brittle little me."_

"Like a little porcelain doll?" He asked, chuckling and leaning over her again with his elbow resting by her face. She exhaled and he felt the breath on his chin, leaning down a few inches from her. "I don't know, you know how I can be."

He sighed when the door opened behind them, eyes screwing shut as he leaned back, the doctor glaring at him when he did, "Do you really have to try and jump my patient in her bed, Jaune?' " _Dust, the impatience…"_

"N-No, Doctor, she just…" He trailed off weakly, smiling as disarmingly as he could while Neo giggled mutely on her bed. "She wanted a kiss?"

"Out, so I can give her a checkup." The doctor huffed, grabbing his arm and pulling him towards the door while he protested weakly. She let him go to stagger into Cinder, who grabbed his shoulders for support with a murmured 'Master?' "And stay out for a while so I can work, you horny teenager."

Jaune wanted to argue, but she slammed the door shut before he could, and he sighed, sitting on the ground next to the door with his head resting against the cool metal, "I just wanted to spend some time with Neo…"

"Soon, Master." Cinder said demurely, smirking and joining him on the floor, her legs folded under her so her feet were tucked just under her legs. "She did catch you in quite a… position, though." " _On top of her, when she's not even wearing a shirt under there…"_

"S-She just wanted a kiss!" He argued weakly, "I wasn't gonna… do anything."

Cinder just chuckled at him as a droid approached them, "Sir, ma'am, you are needed in the mess hall. "The two exchanged a glance, looking up at the droid, and it added, "They wished for me to inform you they have made their decision."

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The cafeteria was quiet for a long time after Jaune left, the food sitting out almost untouched while drones milled about, offering food and drink and keeping things tidy. After a while, Ruby finally spoke, "S-So, we need to decide what we're going to do."

"What's there to decide?" Yang asked darkly, running a hand through her air and boring a hole into the table with her gaze alone. "We're _not_ going up against the queen bitch of the Grimm, even if we believe him."

"He's not lying." Pyrrha argued politely, as much as she could manage it at least, her hands folded on the table in front of her and back straight. "Ozpin told me as much as well, at Beacon. About Salem and more, about himself even."

"Yeah there's a question," Yang admitted, shrugging and turning her hard gaze on the Mistralian woman. "Why did Ozpin spend so much time alone, with you, in his office? And where is he now, anyways?"

"I don't know where he is." Pyrrha admitted honestly, shrugging and letting her face sit neutrally as she could asie from a thin eyebrow raised at her, "And as for why we met… Are you quite certain you want _that_ revelation as well, Yang? You seem barely able to accept the Queen of the Grimm."

"With all due respect, Pyrrha." Weiss said quietly, leaning forward onto the table slightly. "We all deserve to know, even were Yang to decide she didn't wish to."

Pyrrha regarded her for a long moment before sighing and nodding, "Very well. He approached me to ask me for a… favor, of sorts, I suppose. He needed something to fight Salem with, and I was a perfect candidate." Holding a hand up and concentrating, her jaw working slightly in the effort, a small flame burst to life, running along her fingers and hand like a warm, red and orange glove. "I am what is known as a Maiden, and with that comes powers like this," summoning fire with a flick of her wrist and a snap of her fingers. "I can do a great, great many things more than this, of course, but this is the… cleanest to show inside an airship."

"You… mean like the myth?" Ren asked quietly, exchanging a look with Nora. "Is… That what you couldn't tell us? What Ozpin was keeping under wraps, and refused to tell us?"

"Yes" She answered carefully, chewing her lip for a moment and turning to the surprised remnants of RWBY. "Headmaster Ozpin was… afraid, that the kind of knowledge about Salem and the Maidens, magic truly... That it would break this world."

"Oh come on," Yang argued weakly, "It's… Even if that's all true, it's not that big a deal."

"Yes it is." Weiss countered before Pyrrha could, the small Atlesian staring into her lap, eyes searching for something, somewhere. "The Kingdoms, no… The _people_ only have what hope they do, what _peace_ they do, because the Grimm are mindless monsters. If they knew that the Grimm were guided by a thinking hand, planning their demise?"

"There'd be chaos, mass panic, and Grimm Incursions would be the result." Pyrrha finished with a grave nod, "Exactly why Ozpin urged such secrecy, suchpains being taken to keep every inch of it a secret from anyone who didn't need to know it."

"People have a right to know the truth about the world!" Yang snapped, slamming a fist down into the table in front of her hard enough to dent the steel. "If the Kingdoms knew about this shit, then they'd-"

"Do what?" Pyrrha interrupted, dismissing the flame from her palm and folding her hands on the table again. "Send fleets against her? Only Jaune knows where she is, aside from her henchmen and servants. The world would panic, with no direction to strike out at.'

"Then comes the paranoia." Ren added, shaking his head, "I've seen what that can do. When people are stricken by fear and have no way to fight back, they seek out something to strike down. Even in each other. And when the Kingdoms are filled to the brim with panic, people demanding somewhere to strike, _some_ kind of action…"

"War would follow." Pyrrha finished for him, Nora stiffening on Ren's other side. "One Kingdom would start building up its forces, then another, and a third, until all the great Kingdoms are gearing up for war on an unprecedented scale. And once built, these armies would need a place to march on."

"Atlas would get there first." Weiss asserted coldly, trembling ever-so-slightly. "And when they're done… They'd send their fleet, either to Vacuo or Menagerie. One is see as a haven for thieves and liars, and the other is filled with Faunus who are seen as little better… They'd attack them."

"And if they attacked Menagerie, Mistral would feel threatened. Atlas, so close, with such a military movement?" Pyrrha offered, gesturing at herself with a wave of her hand. "I know Mistral. They'd attack, for fear of themselves."

"Any way you look at it, war would come." Ren said sadly, the table falling silent for a few long moments as the group digested that information, a stubborn kind. Like a tough meat, sitting heavily in their stomachs and churning it up painfully. "We… We know though."

"We can do something." Nora finished, smiling grimly and taking Ren's hand in her own, "We can _end this_ , and no one will lose their home again."

"We could die." Pyrrha said quietly, hands tightening around each other at the thought of Jaune's death. "We could all die, to the last man and woman, against a foe like her."

"It's…" Ruby began, looking around at each of them, imagining losing them as tears welled up, fogging around her eyes like a dam threatening to burst. Pressing her lips into a firm line, she stood, leaning onto the table with both hands, "Huntsmen and Huntresses die, every day, out there already. Fighting to protect the people of Remnant, right?" All eyes turned on her, and she flinched only slightly, her shoulders scrunching up when Yang looked at her, "But… But that's what we signed up for. Risking our lives, to make the world _better_. Right?"

"But… Ruby," Yang started to argue, shaking her head, "You can't risk this, not so young."

"How many kids die out there?" Weiss argued, Standing and resting a hand on her partner's shoulder reassuringly. The brunette looked at her, and they exchanged a sad smile and a nod before she continued, "How many people? The Schnee name means something right now. Suffering, pain, and selfishness. That's why I want to become a Huntress."

"What kind of people would we be, if we let what happened to us happen to countless families, all because we were afraid?" Ren asked, standing and smiling when Nora joined him, taking her hand in his and giving it a familiar, affectionate squeeze. "Dying is merely a step of our journey, if the final one."

"At least it'll be memorable?" Nora asked, chuckling unsurely at the thought and looking at Pyrrha. "Right? At least we have a _chance_ , right?"

Standing, Pyrrha smiled, clasping her hands behind her back to hide the nervous, excited tremors running through them, "Yes. Truly, good deaths, if that is the end one of us or all should face. At the least, we would do so together, standing firm and trying to save the world."

"You're all… You're all crazy!" Yang yelled, laughing quietly and shaking her head. "Blake just… She _just_ died, and you're all ready to rush off and die too!"

"Blake died to save lives." Ruby said quietly, blinking back a few tears before continuing, "And… And if she were here, she'd join us. So-"

"Yeah, she fucking would too." Yang snapped, standing so abruptly her chair flew a foot back and toppled, slamming her fists into the table once, then twice before letting her knuckles rest against the cool surface. "That stupid cat... That stupid knight..." looking around, she added, "All of you idiots! If we fucking die, I will haunt you in the afterlife, or whatever the hell happens, forever!"

"You realize we'd be dead too, right?" Ren asked, smirking lightly.

"Yep!" She responded, "And I will still haunt your sorry asses for dragging me into this if I die."

"Drone." Pyrrha snapped, a droid turning towards her from the food table, "Go and fetch Jaune, tell him… Tell him we've made our decisions, and wish to speak to him about them. Immediately, preferably."

"Yes, ma'am."

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"Roman." Jaune said simply when the man joined them, following them through the halls with a lazy smirk on his face that didn't fool Jaune at all, the worry rolling out of him too strong to not notice. "Neo's awake, and she's… Better than she was, the doctor is looking her over, making sure she's okay."

"Good, good… Can't get anything by you, I guess." He chuckled, letting out a nervous breath, "I just wanted to check up with you, on her. And, uh… Kinda need a direction to send this boat. Ship like ours, can't just float around like a big damn target forever and _not_ have someone take a shot." " _Or a bird, or a dragon, or whatever the fuck else shows up for a snack…"_

"I'm on my way to meet the others, and see what they say." Jaune said, Roman raising an eyebrow at him from his flank. He took the chance to eye Cinder carefully on Jaune's right side, the woman trailing just behind the blonde and Jaune sighed, "And yes, Cinder is under my control, so just… Just relax, you're making me nervous."

"Gotta ask how you pulled that off, boss." Roman said simply, shrugging and turning to face ahead of them, fishing a cigar out of his pocket, "Shit, runnin low… Where the hell am I gonna get more smokes out here?"

"We might be stopping off near Vale, if that helps." Jaune offered with a shrug, the man turning with a shocked expression directed at him, and equally surprised emotions roiling out before anxiety joined them. "To drop off anyone not wanting to head north with us, Roman, we'll be far enough out not to get noticed."

" _Hopefully, at least…"_ "Well, you still haven't told me how you managed to make Cinder follow you around like a lost puppy." He cocked his head back and to the side, chewing his cigar in his lips idly, "Tell me, how sore were your kees after?"

"Roman…" She growled, the thief smirking.

"Oh, was it your behind that was sore?" He chuckled when she growled again, smoke billowing out of her hand, "Uh uh, can't hurt me, the kid won't let ya." " _Neo would be pissed."_

"Cinder, you can't kill Roman." Jaune chided gently, the woman grimacing and letting the smoke peter out. Turning to Roman, he added, "And you, stop antagonizing her. It's pointless and you two have to work together now, and I won't have you fighting."

"Yes, Master." " _Even if he's infuriating…"_ Cinder said meekly, clasping her hands in front of herself and looking at the floor. "I will do as you wish."

"M-Master?" Roman choked out in surprise, stumbling as they walked, the smug superiority and cockiness washed away in a sudden spike of nervousness and a kind of fear that made Jaune nauseous to feel, and to be the cause of as well. "What… What did you do to her?" " _He's not going to…"_

"I only did what I had to to survive, Roman." Jaune argued simply as they approached the mess hall door, stopping to look at the man seriously. "I won't do it to anyone ever again, if I can help it. Including you, so relax. I'd… I'd like to think you and I are friends, after everything. Especially with me and Neo, and how we're… Well..."

"Well what?" Roman asked quietly with a raised eyebrow, Jaune heading for the door as quickly as he could without running. Roman looked at Cinder, the woman smiling affectionately until she turned to him, scowling at him, "What did he mean?"

"Well…. Let's just say that you had the wrong woman wearing out her knees with a sore behind." Cinder mused, smiling when Roman's cigar fell out of his mouth and he stared at her wide eyed before moving to follow her master.

They rounded the corner, and Jaune felt every eye slam onto him, but… Where before he'd sensed fear, anger, confusion, anxiety, now he felt… A strange acceptance as the group nibbled at food in front of them, watching him approach his seat and take it, Roman and Cinder standing behind him on either side. Leaning forward to rest his elbows on the table and steeple his fingers and ignoring the smarting on his side as his wound stretched slightly, he smiled politely.

"Well?"

"We've made our decision, Jaune." Pyrrha said simply, smiling confidently at him, "We will follow you north, and face Salem. For the sake of the world and everyone on it." " _It took some doing, too, so you have to seal it."_

"Just don't blow it and get us all killed." Yang grunted, tearing a bite out of her chicken leg while Weiss rolled her eyes. " _If you take Ruby away too, I'll rip off your dick and feed it to you."_

"Noted." Jauned grunted, turning slightly and raising a finger, "Cinder, get me a drink. With ice, if you don't mind." A way to show power, even if he didn't like it, they needed to see strength right now.

"Yes, Master." She answered, bowing her head and moving to get him something.

"I ain't fetchin' you a drink or a snack, kid." Roman grunted when Jaune turned to him, the blonde chuckling at it. What Cinder had said had aggravated him, true, but Jaune made a note to thank Cinder for telling him. Saved Jaune the headache. "So, boss man, what's the plan? Now that we're all settled in for a fight, after all."

"The plan?" Jaune chuckled, rolling his shoulders lightly, "We're going to Salem's castle. We'll evacuate the prisoners, destroy it and kill Salem. Then we run, before her Grimm can arrive."

"That means we'll need teams sorted out." Weiss advised, humming in thought. "Someone who knows the place well to guide us, and people who can defend… Prisoners?" " _There are prisoners there too?"_

"Yes, slaves more like. Servants, cooks, maintenance people." Jaune sighed, shaking his head, "I don't know how many there are, but with a ship like this, we can carry them. I'm sure."

"Master." Cinder said politely, setting the iced soda in front of him. He nodded and took a drink, and sh continued, "If I may, I know the castle's grounds quite well. But we have to be fast. Fast enough to evade the Grimm once we make for the escape. But strong enough to handle the Grimm themselves, and anyone else who comes. If one of her servants come, I will fight them." She hesitated, looking to Jaune, "I-If master permits, of course."

"I do." He supplied, sighing, "Who are out fastest, then? Weiss and Ruby, right?"

" _Blake was fast too…"_ "Yeah, but they need muscle too." Yang offered stiffly, hand gripping her metal cup a touch too tightly, the metal groaning in protest. "I'd suggest Ren, but he doesn't have enough hitting power. No offence."

"None taken." Ren added, sighing, "Nora isn't as fast as you two, but she hits hard." " _Even when she shouldn't…"_ "She'd be a good addition, along with miss…?"

"Cinder Fall." She answered, inclining her head politely. "I was one of Salem's servants, but I serve master now." She raised a hand, flames crackling into life on each tip as she moved them, "I am quite a potent combatant."

He sensed everyone's suspicions rise, minus Ruby and Roman, and opened his mouth to speak. Ruby beat him there, "He, uh, he changed her mind… With his Semblance. She won't, you know, betray us or anything." " _Unless Jaune wants her to... but that'd be crazy."_

"You can do that?" Nora coughed, choking on her drink, the water splashing onto her shirt. Ren sighed, handing her a napkin. "Sorry…"

"Yes, I can. It takes a lot to do it, and… and I normally refuse to." He swallowed nervously, "But against Cinder? I had to get her out of the way so she couldn't warn Salem. I couldn't beat her in a fight… So…"

"Soe he used his Semblance to change me, rather than try to kill me or even just defeat me in open combat. My master is a competent warrior, but he is no fool. Even now, I would dominate him in battle." Cinder said simply, shrugging. "It is past now, and I have forgiven it. Further, I would ask you not torture my master over this, he does so enough already by himself. Regardless of what I say to him, of course." " _You need to forgive yourself, Master. You did only as you had to."_

"So it's... More of an emergency trump card than anything else?" Weiss offered, Jaune nodding simply. The explanation was close enough to use, as far as he was concerned, even if Jaune wanted to add that he probably wouldn't use it enough even for that. "I… suppose that is acceptable enough." " _Even if it's disgusting… Gods the things he could do if he wanted. He could seize the SDC through me, and worse."_

"I won't do that, Weiss." Jaune assured sadly, eyes softening when she flinched. "I heard your thoughts. I wouldn't do that to you, not ever. And not to anyone else at this table either, for that matter."

"What are you…. Talking about?" Ruby asked quietly, looking between the two.

"I…" Jaune nodded at Weiss to continue, "I just realized that, if he wished it, he could control _me_. Seize the SDC entirely through me and… and…"

"And use her, physically." Jaune said sadly, eyes closing tiredly at the implication. Everyone assumed so much about him, was that normal? Did people assume this much about everyone around themselves? No wonder the world was in the state it was in… "That's what she's frightened of, and I understand… I understand why, you know? But I won't do anything like that. I… don't know how I can prove it, but-"

"My old mistress Salem actually wished for him to do just as you say, and took several women as prisoners to be his servants." Cinder interrupted helpfully, "We also wished for him to dominate each of you and add you to his retinue. He refused all of this, even taking his servants under his _protection_ from us. He refused it when we pushed him, so I doubt anyone here has anything to worry about on that front." " _He even refused me…"_

Jaune ignored the sad note to her inner voice, instead looking at his friends and sensing them more thoroughly. Each relaxed, the suggestion of him puppeting them feeling less likely to ever happen. After a second to let that settle in their minds, he spoke, "Once we arrive, we will have to act immediately. The fast team will follow Cinder to get the prisoners, and the rest of us… We'll raise hell, and go after Salem herself."

"Charging headlong into battle in hell itself?" Pyrrha mused, smiling gently at him. "Are you sure you aren't Mistralian, Jaune? My people would be glad to have you as one of ours."

"Living with legends, charging in against the queen of the deep, dark monsters?" Roman grumbled, shaking his head with a thin, hard smirk, "Fuck it, I guess. Never done anything like this before, might as well try. Let's save the damn world, be big old heroes." " _Even if we end up dead ones."_

"I didn't think someone like you would be so…" Weiss trailed off, grimacing and looking him up and down, "willing to help." " _Especially for a thief… I'd think you'd be more selfish and cruel."_

"Have to be alive to steal, and people need to be rich to steal from them." Roman explained easily, shrugging as though it were the most obvious thing in the world. After a moment, he sighed and turned to look away from the group, "And… Well, I never had a chance to do anything worth a damn. Not going to back out when I get the chance. What kind of thief isn't greedy enough to want to play hero too?" " _A living one, probably."_

"None of us will judge you for being greedy, Roman." Jaune said brightly, smiling and letting out a breath. "Well, let's eat then. We have a long trip ahead of us, it should take a few days to reach Salem's castle at least."

It would be nice, to spend some time with them.

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Jaune left the mess hall quickly, leaving Cinder and Roman wit the others so they could… Get to know each other in a way other than fighting. It was important to the extreme that they get along well enough to trust each other in a fight. And having him around still made several of the group… nervous and aggravated, Yang in particular. Some of them still had some thinking ad digesting to do regarding everything they'd been told, which is why when Yang demanded the droids bring out some 'hooch' and they requested his permission to do so, he allowed it.

And instructed Cinder and Roman to watch them, of course, to keep them there.

"Hey Neo." He said, pushing open the door and feeling the young woman's disappointment where she'd been lurking beside it, waiting to surprise him. Stepping into the room, he smiled at her and tapped his forehead, "I can sense _you_ , of all people, from a mile away."

" _You could have pretended, at least."_ Neo complained, walking around the cabin he'd… appropriated after they left, an officer's cabin near the cockpit of the ship. Twice the size of his old one, with a personal computer on a desk to the far left of the door with shelves surrounding it and a large, fine bed with the head resting under a window. The window continued to stretch across the entirety of the wall, about head height and curved with the exterior of the ship with a comfortable chair next to the end table on the bed's right. Aside from that, it was very spartan. " _The new digs are nice, by the way, Jaune. Definitely an upgrade."_

Jaune gave her an appraising look, the girl only wearing her leotard and pants right now, bandages wrapping around her shoulders and back when she turned, and asked, "How did you slip away from the doctor?"

" _I didn't slip away."_ She said with a shrug, taking a seat on the foot of the bed and smiling at him warmly. " _She checked me over, changed out my bandages, poke my back a bit, and said I could leave as long as I was cautious. She said to avoid anything..."_ She trailed a hand up her leg, skirting towards her inner thigh, " _Rough."_

He took a seat in the comfortable black armchair, resting a foot on his left knee comfortably, "How, um… How rough is 'rough' though?"

" _Well…"_ She said, hopping up and striding to stand in front of him with a sway in her hip and a cocky smile on her face, using a finger to lift his foot off his knee and dropping it onto the floor before leaning on the arms of the chair so she hovered over him, the blonde looking up and into her eyes, brown and pink. " _It means you have to be gentle with me. What was it you said earlier, about me being like a porcelain doll?"_

"But I don't _like_ to be gentle." He said simply, reaching out to rest his hands on the curve where her hips met her rear, railing his bottom fingers down slightly to feel the soft flesh and grinning when she smiled at him, "You broke me out of that habit, if I recall."

" _Yes, but I'm impatient."_ She said, sighing dramatically and mutely and climbing into his lap, straddling him so her knees rested against his hips against the soft cushion. He let his hands slide down and back to grip her more fully and she growled in her throat, " _I'm not going to wait until my back is better for this."_

"You always were impatient, yeah. Never willing to wait."

" _Says the man currently groping my ass?"_ She chided, resting her elbows on the chair behind his head and leaning in so their noses touched. He gave her a playful slap and her eyes closed as she pressed against his hips needily, " _That's not gentle."_

"It's also not your back." He returned, pecking her lips tenderly and trailing kisses along her neck while she gripped his hair and sighed contentedly. "And I'm also impatient, you know. It's been longer for me than you."

He ran one of his hands up her stomach to her chest, and she sighed louder, " _We'll have to be careful… The bed looks soft enough, right?"_

He grunted and carried her to it, turning to the door, "Lock on, don't let anyone disturb us." It chimed and he went to work on her leotard, the woman giggling mutely and wrapping her legs around his hips eagerly.

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Neo curled against his chest, her lips kissing along his neck affectionately, nipping at the skin while he held her against his side exhaustedly. She stretched her leg over his waist comfortably, trailing the lazy kisses until she was satisfied and leaned down to rest her head more fully on his chest, he sighed contentedly as his eyes slid closed.

"Dust, I missed you…" He groaned when her hand started rubbing his sore muscles and she pressed her bare chest against his side the way he liked so much, practically clinging to him.

" _I know."_ She responded, smiling with her eyes closed while her hands explored familiar flesh and muscle. " _I missed you too, even if we had to be gentler than you like. It was still nice, to have this."_

"I meant you, Neo." He said quietly, her hands pausing and her eyes blinking open with a startled pink glow. He chuckled in amusement, hand sliding down to enjoy the feel of her behind again, almost absentmindedly. He looked down at her when she looked up at him, the orange rays being cast by the dying sun doing magical things to her skin, "I just… I love you, Neo. I hope you know that. And I… I want to get married, if we both survive this."

" _You do?"_ He sensed her surprise, the girl blinking a few time as her jaw fell open at the idea behind it. He caught a picture in her mind, of her in a silvery dress under a great oak, and smiled down at her.

"Yes." He slid his hand up her back from her rear to her hair, playing with it gently. "I, uh, guess I should be more formal? Maybe ask Roman first?"

" _But… What about your family?"_ She asked, surprise echoing through her and into him. " _I mean, being with me permanently isn't… conducive to living in a small town like that. Not with my bounties."_

"My family," he explained, "will love you as much as I do. And my dad is kind of the mayor, so I doubt you'll get turned in. You _or_ Roman. It's a fresh start."

Gently, almost like a frightened cat, she pulled herself up his chest and pressed a tender kiss against his lips, laying against him. Normally, her hands explored or moved his to places she wanted touched, normally she nipped at his lips and tried to get the kiss to move to something. This time… she was content, to lie in his arms, enjoying his warmth and that of the sun through the window, and just kiss him.

Pulling away, she swallowed nervously and, her jaw working and her throat twitching in pain, she said, "Y- Yie…" Coughing into the air, she forced it out, "Yiieesss." He blinked and she blushed, coughing from that little exertion alone, " _Yes… That's the best I can do, Jaune."_

Smiling, he pulled her towards him again and kissed her back.

It was nice to have some light at the end of the long, dark tunnel he'd been in.

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 _ **The Impossible Muffin :**_

 **Yeah, that's a known - if annoying - glitch…. Sorry.**

 _ **Emperor King Perby :**_

 **Danke~!**

 _ **Cat Poster :**_

 **Imma plead the fifth there, because I may or may not return to this with a sequel… Ask again on the last chapter, and I will PM you the answer if I decide not to.**

 _ **Drannakka :**_

 **Yes, theoretically, but that would kill one of them at least. Amber doesn't have a body anymore, after all.**

 _ **Lover of Lemon :**_

 **Sorry, bro. Not in this fic, even if it would have been bittersweet and ironic.**

 _ **Duplicate User Name :**_

 **Perv~ And yeah, I toyed with that idea, but that would have muddied the water in the story here. As I said to** _ **Cat Poster**_ **I am toying with a sequel idea, and that is kept in mind with hat idea.**

 _ **Hydro Knight 505 :**_

 **Oh he is aware, it's just… difficult to adapt to that so suddenly. It takes time, and effort, and more just to not see her as a threat after everything they'd been through.**

 _ **Ninjafang 1331 :**_

 **Danke~!**

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 _ **Twisted :**_

 **So, a lot of temptations happened here. For instance, I considered including a lemon and… decided against it, to keep to the purpose of the scene in totality. I am also thinking of what to do after this story ends next chapter. I have three ideas. Below will be descriptions of all but the last story. Please, give me input on what you'd enjoy seeing replace this.**

 **As ought be expected, all Supporters will have a greater say.**

 _ **Destiny X RWBY :**_

 **Jaune dies in the Initiation and is awakened by a strange, damaged little bauble, who asks him for help and says it is lost. Jaune, having lost all but his name, agrees and they work together to escape the forest and see what the world holds.**

 _ **Fallout X RWBY :**_

 **Neo and Yang battled on the train, until Yang collapsed, exhausted and unable to continue. When Neo saw a strange woman appear and made to teleport away, Yang lunged and took her around the waist. What happens when Neo's teleportation is interrupted? This story happens.**

 **Takes place in Fallout 4, which I have scarcely played, and the story will stay in the north end for a while, towards Sanctuary while I play through.**

 _ **Knight takes Kingpiece :**_

 **A sequel, directly, to Mind Games. Guess what happens according to the name~ This comes with the caveat that it may take forever, and I may do one of the others in the meantime.**


	46. Enough is Revealed

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 _ **Official Supporters:**_

 **SleeplessShippings**

 **Shadie**

 **Emperor King Perby**

 _ **If you want your name on the lists of my stories and videos, head over to P a t. R e . o n and search for the Temple Walkers. Just let us know you're from Fanfiction, alright? There's a thousand of you, so a dollar a piece would really add up and help me a lot! Once I reach five hundred Supporters of any value over a dollar, I will make a concerted effort to put out a chapter of something once every three days at the very slowest.**_

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Fifteen minutes before they were going to be within sight range of the castle, everyone headed to the cargo hold to get ready. Strapping on armor, checking battle outfits for damages, reloading and checking ammunition loads and so on. Droids around them carried fortifications and auto-turrets, keyed to their facial ID and genetic scans and generally just set to kill Grimm in any event, towards the front where the ramp separated from steel. From crates making makeshift walls on the flanks and secured by thick cables to sandbags that were being piled up as cover at the top of the ramp, just beyond what would shift away to form the actual ramp. Several droids were positioning manned guns and ammo stockpiles as well for themselves, intent on holding out the eventual horde in the sealed cargo hold. A distraction more than anything, the cargo hold would be sealed behind several bulkheads to protect the ship itself, the Doctor and Neo, still too injured to fight.

And boy oh boy had _that_ been an argument. Neo was particularly against the idea of him going into a fight without her since, qoute, " _He didn't know how the fuck to avoid the pointy ends!_ "

His explanation of his plan fell on deaf ears, ironically.

"Master." He turned to look up from where he knelt, checking his boots at the top of the ramp, behind a sandbag. Cinder offered him a hand and pulled him up, and she held his helmet out, "We will be within range of Salem soon, Master, you should put this on." " _If you pass out in the middle of the fighting…"_

He nodded with a sigh, sliding the old helmet on and adjusting it so he could see well enough. Looking around, he watched the others preparing. Nora grabbed extra explosives, Dust grenades for her launcher she'd spent hours loading, Ren ran through katas, stretching and meditating all at once. Yang and Ruby were checking shells, the latter methodically examining each shell on Yang's bandoliers before letting the blonde load them or put them in her cases on her waist. Then she moved to her own, checking her sight seveal times before moving on.

Pyrrha was sitting on a crate a ways away, eyes closed and embers burning in her hands, and Jaune sighed, "Cinder, go help Pyrrha? You've had the Maiden powers longest."

"But-" He turned to her, face impassive and invisible behind the plated mask, and she flinched. "Yes, Master. As you wish."

"Arc, Jaune." He turned to regard a droid, holding out a small white belt with several cylinders on it attached. "Explosive charges. Excellent for crippling building supports and structural integrity. As requested, Commander."

"Thanks." He said, mentally chiding himself. It was a _machine_ it didn't need to be thanked… He ignored it, wrapping the belt around his waist and clipping it so the grenades hung on his sword-side, his sheathed sword on his left hip. "Dismissed. Continue the preparations."

"Yes, Arc, Jaune." It intoned, turning and lumbering off to find some task to perform.

The ship listed to the side, a signal to Jaune it was approaching to land, and he rolled his shoulders experimentally. A confirmation came a moment later when Roman's voice crackled over the speakers, "Okay, kiddies, slaves and robots all. Comin' in to land, so get ready to fight. Best of luck out there, I'll make damn sure you got a ship to get back to. And remember kids, ain't no shame in runnin'."

"He would say that." Weiss dismissed, idly rechecking the vials of Dust on her hip and arrayed in a pair of bracelets tucked into her sleeves safely. "I would wager strongly he hasn't stood to fight a day in his life."

"He _is_ the one guarding our exit, Weiss." Yang argued halfheartedly, shrugging when the white-haired woman raised a brow at her. "What? I hate the guy, but he's doin' a job. One that needs doin' too, and he's not the best one here at smash and grabs."

"He's also the best pilot on the ship." Jaune argued as he joined them, the group slowly coming together around him at the head of the ramp. "When we get back, everything on this continent will be after us. We need to get out of here _fast_ or we'll end up overrun. No time for Roman to run all the way to the cockpit."

"Master is quite correct." He smiled when Cinder and Pyrrha joined them, the last of the group, and he sensed the redhead's bolstered confidence. "When Salem realizes our attack, she will call on her Grimm to defend her. We must defeat her or run, one of the two, before the greater Grimm arrive. We should also have him send a communique to Atlas and warn them about the threat to Ansel, and that the Grimm in general might turn aggressive. Or, well, more so than usual at least."

"Yeah. Good thinking, Cinder." Jaune agreed, inclining his head gratefully at the woman and ignoring the flush in her cheeks at the praise. "Roman. You heard that, right?"

"Yeah, kid." His voice crackled, "I'll send something out as soon as the shooting starts in the hold, should be a good enough signal for me as anything else. Also gonna turn up the rotary cannons on the hull, not much but they should handle avian Grimm. Unless a damn Drake shows up."

"Don't jinx us, Roman." Cinder warned him, crossing her arms under her bust, "She has several Greater Drakes and even a few proper Elder Drakes around on this continent for her protection." She saw several of their group's panic and she added, "They're always near the exterior of the continent, not her castle. They're to take down expeditionary forces coming into the continent, explorers and the like."

"We're not on there perimeter. Therefore, we won't meet them. Correct?" Pyrrha offered helpfully, the older woman nodding at the young Maiden as the group relaxed around them mildly. "All we have to worry about is that which Salem," Pyrrha only hesitated a second on the name, swallowing nervously before continuing, "would keep around her constantly, and nearby enough to worry about."

Even with his helmet on, he could sense everyone's nerves spiking, and let his hand rest on Crocea Mors' hilt as a reminder it was there. He felt his stomach churn familiarly as the ship listed, Roman's voice crackling across the speakers again to tell them they were on their way, and Jaune took a breath before making his way to the ramp. "Everyone, stick to the plan. Cinder, you go first, if you see someone try and deal with them quickly."

When the ramp hit the dirt, they rushed down it, scattering to do their jobs as soon as they left. Sprinting towards the tower, he slammed his blade into a Beowolf's head, Yang blasting past him and crushing another before any of them could react.

But they did react, and when that happened they knew trouble was coming. It took Ren a microsecond too long to kill his, and that was all it needed to loose a loud howl that reverberated inside Jaune's helmet and off the walls around them, echoing out across the dark land and the castle itself, before the young man could whip his knives along its throat and send it sputtering onto the ground with a hacking, wet sound.

They hesitated for only a second before they heard the warbling sound echo back at them, from the buildings and the woods around them equally, and Yang swore, "Shit! Now we're in it."

"Keep going." Jaune ordered simply, fishing out one of his grenades and planting it just outside the door, right at its base, before it flew open. Jaune rolled out of the way, his side flaring in pain, but Yang didn't and was thrown back along with the door.

"What the hell is going on- Jaune?" Hazel demanded, blinking as he took in their surroundings. "What are you doing, boy?"

Surprise was their weapon, and would win against Haze;s strength. That was the bet Jaune had to make.

Jaune didn't answer, lunging at him, and the man snarled as he sidestepped and rolled hi shoulders to rid himself of his heavy coat, throwing it in a ball at the blonde's back to add more weight to his movements and throw him against the wall by the door. Ren leapt at him, spinning with his blades aimed for the man's eyes, and Hazel raised a forearm to defend himself, reaching down with his left hand faster than a man his size had any right to move and grabbing the man, hurling him bodily at Pyrrha as she rushed him in turn.

The redhead leapt over the flying young man easily as Jaune turned, hurling her spear at the large man. He batted it aside as the Champion landed, spinning on her heel and following the spear with her shield. That slammed home against his chest, actually staggering him, and Pyrrha leapt with her hands outstretched, calling her weapons back to her easily as Yang lunged for the staggering man's chest.

"Enough!" The man snarled, rolling as his back hit the floor and coming up with a devastating haymaker that caught Pyrrha across her shield and threw her full weight against Jaune as he moved behind her, slamming them into the wall in a heap that they ended up in on the ground as Hazel fought Yang, blocking her strikes easily until he found a gap, reaching in for her shirt and slamming his head into hers hard enough to stagger her. Ripping away his sleeves, the man fished out a pair of red crystals, "You will pay for this, traitor! I hope Ozpin did something to earn your loyalty!"

Jaune pushed the winded Mistralian off him and staggered up, raising his shield warily while Pyrrha caught her breath, propping herself up on the wall with her sword-side shoulder, "What are you doing?"

"Making Ozpin pay with your hide!" The man snarled hotly, eyes wilder and angrier than Jaune had _ever_ seen them be in all his time here and stabbing them into his arms, at the crook of the elbow. He snarled as red sparks lit along his skin, "Huuuaaaaaaah! Come at me and die, you pathetic, brainwashed children!"

They collectively hesitated, and Hazel took the choice from them, rushing at Yang as she brought her guard up and slamming his fist down against her crossed arms hard enough that _everyone_ heard the crack as her left arm fractured, and the woman screamed as much in pain as surprise before Hazel slammed his other fist under her guard and into her stomach, staggering her back while Ren stepped in to try and help, peppering the man with rounds.

He ignored them entirely and lumbered towards him while Jaune and Pyrrha charged his back, spotting their advance over his shoulder as he slammed a fist at and past Ren, ripping a hole into the ground and ripping the stone from the earth, turning to hurl it at Jaune. The blonde caught it on his shield and it exploded against it hard enough to send rocks against his helmet and shoulder and denting the metal there, turning as it struck and staggering to his right while Pyrrha advanced, shifting her sword to spear-form with a flick of her wrist and lunging at his throat as fast as she could manage.

Dodging the strikes as easily as breathing, he lunged in and grabbed Pyrrha by the arm, wrenching it to the side hard enough to force the haft into her side and raised a fist high over her head, aiming to crush her beneath his weight. Ren lunged at his back, digging the blades of his handguns into his left shoulder. The man snarled, the surprise slipping by his Aura, and hurled Pyrrha away towards Yang before she could recover and stand as he tried to turn to get at Ren.

Jerking his arm, he tried to shake the raven-haired young man off and, when that failed, ran towards Jaune. The blonde raised his shield to ward off whatever attack he had in mind, but Hazel barreled by and turned, slamming his shoulder into the wall with the force of a freight train, and Ren trapped between the two. The wall itself gave some, the bricks sagging inward as Hazel pulled away, leaving Ren groaning in the rubble.

"You see, Jaune?" He asked, turning a hot glare on the boy and his two remaining allies as they joined him, "You have nothing that can beat me!"

"Jaune?" Pyrrha called, half a question and half a suggestion, spinning her spear in her hand as she took a position behind the large man. He turned to regard her and Yang, the blonde grimacing as her almost certainly fractured left arm moved.

He nodded and she returned it, and Hazel looked at him with a raised brow, and Jaune shrugged, "Never assume you have a win until you have it."

Jaune charged the man, and Hazel turned as he did so, the blonde raising his shield to ward off the punishing blows raining down on his shield, numbing his arm and forcing him to his knees. Wrenching the metal aside, he reached down and grabbed the blonde by his collar, hoisting him into the air and rearing back a fist before screaming as lightning arced across his back, the blonde dropping from his numb fingers as his back arched and he staggered, Jaune scrabbling out of the way to avoid being crushed as he turned.

"You… You're…" He groaned, growling as the lightning faded and Pyrrha panted, "The damn Maiden?"

Jaune rose as quickly as it could, burying Crocea Mors to the hilt in the man's side and up towards his heart, and watching the man sink to his knees with a grimace, "Yeah, she is." He grunted as he yanked it free and the man fell back, "Sorry, Hazel. But we don't have time for a long goodbye."

"Hopefully you have time for an explanation." A cold, harsh voice crowed at him, his heart freezing in his chest as he turned towards the door. Salem stepped out elegantly, hands folded in front of her and a smirk on her face, "And a good one, I should hope, or else I will have to take some manner of… disciplinary action against you."

"You're… You're…" He turned to look at Yang, bright lavender eyes widening at the pale, vicious visage and the cold dark eyes. "Shit, I didn't actually think that-"

"That I was real, or that you'd have to _fight me_ , young lady?" She asked, sounding amused and eyeing the blonde woman up like a piece of meat for her to enjoy. Which might be outright true, honestly, given Salem's possible proclivities. "Jaune did tell you of me, at least, I hope? Not to do so would be _deliciously_ manipulative."

"He told us everything of you that we needed to know, Salem." Pyrrha intoned weakly as she caught her breath, stepping in front of Yang with her shield held out at her ready protectively. "He pursued no tricks to bring us here to face you. He told us the truth and we all came, for the good of all Remnant."

"In whose eyes, I wonder?" She mused, crossing her arms beneath her considerable bust and gesturing to Hazel's body where he lay. "Does _his_ good seem to have been done? Further, how about mine? Tyrion's? I could even mention the Faunus, I _am_ pursuing an alliance with the White Fang that would place the Faunus in quite a nice position. Or did you mean _your_ good? Because that is entirely separate from Remnant itself. And if you meant the _planet's_ good, I would have to argue that the Grimm do no pollute this planet, or wage wars in its forests, or slaughter its creatures en masse for food."

"Your word games mean nothing to us, creature, so-"

"Pyrrha." Jaune snapped quietly, turning his head to look at her only slightly and shaking his head. She wasn't trying to goad them, there was no point in it… And where were her Grimm, she should have a horde here already. He spared Ren a glance behind her legs and she stepped her left one out a bit further, exposing her pale leg up to the thigh n a clear demand for his attention, "You haven't called your Grimm to attack us, or done it yourself. Why?"

"Because, Jaune, I want to know how you turned my dear, precious Cinder." She sighed, "I spent _so much_ to turn her to my side, and insure her absolute loyalty. There should have been naught than any but the gods could do to sway her away from my side, and I sincerely doubt one of _those_ turned up after I killed the first two."

"You-"

"Yes, yes, I killed the Brothers." She said with a tired, aggravated sigh. "Accidentally, of course, and not directly. When I claimed the Grimm as mine, they turned on them and tore them down." She shrugged, smiling a smile with far more teeth than Jaune found comfortable, "Oh well, more power for me, I supposed. But you, Jaune, need to answer my question before I send my Nevermore after your precious ship and do _far_ worse to the pathetic rescue you're staging."

Jaune had noticed the lack of gunfire in the background shield arm bouncing in thought for a few seconds while Pyrrha watched him carefully. Appraisingly. If he could at least stall, she and Yang could recover, and they _might_ fair better against Salem…

He doubted it though.

"Why do you care?" He asked simply instead of answering, the woman sighing.

"You will answer me, Jaune, or you will be punished." She said simply, deigning not to answer his question. "I may be swayed to answer why I wish to know after I know. Maybe."

"My Semblance." He eventually admitted, having to force the words past his lips and grimacing at the wide, eerily satisfied smile she gave. "I used it to… to control Cinder's mind, make her serve me and my own goals instead of you."

"Perfect!" She cheered, surprising Jaune enough that his guard lowered. Turning, he saw the others were similarly shocked when the woman-thing seemed to _bounce_ on the spot in excitement. "Oh Jaune, it's been so long I've waited… Oh when you sensed me through that Ursa back in that forest, I had hoped so dearly that your power was as I thought it would be. It's been so long since I met another like myself-"

"What do you mean he's like you?" Yang demanded hotly, shoving past Pyrrha and looking between the two of them in surprise. Salem's smile died on her lips, her mouth pulling back to show her fangs, but Yang glared at Jaune warily, "The fuck does she mean that you're like her, Jaune?"

Jaune flinched when tendrils lashed past him, the wind from their movement tossing him aside as they wrapped around Yang's torso and left arm, yanking the girl towards the Grimm Queen, who held the woman by her throat. He rose, coughing as oxygen rushed back into his lungs, and Salem tutted at the choking girl.

"Now, now, children shouldn't interrupt when their betters speak." She pressed her thumb against Yang's throat, the choking sounds turning more desperate as the blonde kicked and clawed weakly at the tendrils holding her, her left arm outstretched with the tendrils wrapped around it, "But today is a good day, a day I shall celebrate, so I won't kill you. But alas, discipline _is_ required. I'll even let you keep your good arm."

With a wet squelching sound and s strangled scream, the Grimm queen shoved her hand through Yang's left shoulder and _pulled_ towards Yang's right as the tentacles yanked her arm the other way, dislocating the limb before wrenching the flesh apart. Yang screamed long and loud and Salem rolled her eyes, the tendrils shifting her behind her and wrapping around her throat, constricting visibly until she stopped struggling and dropped limply to the floor beside Ren who scrabbled away.

"Tend to her, boy, or she will die." Salem growled over her shoulder at the raven-haired young man, "Tear off her jacket and use it for bandages. Or don't, I care not for her beyond Jaune's apparent care for her." She raised the bloodied hand and caught his sword as it descended, the blonde scowling behind his helmet, "You're too smart to attack me head on if you didn't, after all."

"Why did you do that?" He demanded, trying to yank his sword free for several seconds before she hurled him at the redhead running up behind him, the blonde knight slamming into the Mistralian for the tenth damn time that day, rolling off of her and staggering upright. "And why does everyone keep doing that!"

"Because it's _effective_ , Jaune." Salem chuckled, cocking her hip and raising an eyebrow at him. "And she angered me, and interrupted me as well just so you're aware, so I punished her. I already let her live, what more do you dare ask of me? Because you haven't even asked what I _wanted_ you for."

"And what would that be?" He asked suspiciously, looking past her at Ren and the unconscious brawler worriedly.

"Oh, for the love of all the Grimm, take her to your ship and have her treated!" Salem snarled out, spinning and glaring at the raven-haired Mistralian. Ren spared Jaune a glance and, when he nodded, lifted Yang as best he could and started dragging her away. Salem watched them go, glaring all the while, and eventually sighed, "Forgive me, Jaune, but I don't want any distractions for this conversation and that… Whelp's moaning was annoying."

Jaune bit back a retort, taking a step and wincing at the sharp pain in his side, "And w-what are you wanting to not have interrupted?"

Her dark eyes locked on his side and she inhaled, shaking her head after a moment, "Grimm, I can smell your wound… Annoying." She spared Hazel a glance and then Jaune's side, an eyebrow rising in curiosity, "When did you suffer that, exactly? Hazel bears no blades on him."

"He got it from Cinder." Pyrrha said simply, gesturing at his side. "He impaled himself upon her blade to get close to her and use his Semblance."

"Impressive and bold." She said with a… pleased, almost, smile? "As were were speaking about though, what I want from you, Jaune. You see, I was like you, as a young… thing." She grimaced, as though offended by the memory. "A little waif, in a little village one could hurl a rock from one end of and strike the ground outside the other. These were the early days on Remnant, when a roaming group of Grimm meant devastation and Aura was barely understood. Dust's use began and ended with bombs and attaching them to long sticks to make bombs to _poke with._ A laughable solution to larger Grimm, truly."

"It worked though." Jaune argued, gesturing around them. "We wouldn't be where we are today if it didn't."

"Ah, but that is where you're wrong." She said, smiling brightly and walking to the side to look out onto the land surrounding her dark castle. "You see, this was the advent of Aura, the first days of it truly being _used_. Admittedly, before the Huntsmen and Huntresses developed, so it was mostly… roaming warriors, seeking out those who could fight. _I_ volunteered for training, and after a year, my Aura was unlocked."

"And you discovered your Semblance…" Jaune offered anxiously, dreading where he _suspected_ this might be going.

"Indeed I did." She said, chuckling darkly and shaking her head. She smiled eerily, as though remembering something pleasant, or maybe amusing. "I awoke my Semblance surrounded by hundreds of anxious, fearful people in squalid conditions. Many were sick, suffering, others dying or with those they loved dead near them… This was, you must understand, the Dark Age of Humanity. A war was being waged with another nearby nation. This was all very… normal. Except what it _did_ to me."

"I felt them, Jaune. Their pain, fear, hatred, loneliness… All which they suffered, I felt it to my very core." She leaned against the side of her great tower at the very edge of the flattened and raised ground, hands gripping her shoulders comfortably. "Have you guessed yet, Jaune? I always took you as a smart young man, so have you guessed my original self's Semblance?"

"Every Semblance is unique." Pyrrha tried to argue, shaking her head animatedly. "You… It may have been a similar ability, but it was _not_ the same as-"

I a flash of wind and a scattering of stones, Salem moved to Pyrrha's side, slamming a fist into her stomach hard enough that Jaune heard the crack of ribs and when Salem dropped her to the side, she coughed and emptied her stomach across the stones as she fell and the ancient queen sighed, "Honestly, I'd think she'd have learned not to interrupt by now… I do so dislike being _interrupted_."

The Mistralian crawled away gracelessly, dragging her weapons with her across the stone, and Jaune growled, "She's right though. We _can't_ have the same Semblance, they're all unique."

"Not really, no." She dismissed easily, "The Schnees are but one example of a lineage of people who all share the same Semblance. Hereditary Semblances are quite rare indeed, enough so I considered snatching a Schnee for my own purposes, among other families…" His displeasure at the implication must have shown because she laughed when she looked at him, "Ah, your face… Rest assured, I had no children and so your Semblance is not from me. Nor have I abducted anyone."

"Then how would you… How would you begin to say we share a Semblance?" He demanded as sternly as he could while Pyrrha dragged herself up, leaning on her spear and glaring at the Grimm Queen weakly and looking at Jaune beyond her in worry. He tried to put on a brave face and reassure her, behind his helmet. "How is that even possible?"

"Mathematics." She said simply, "Odds of an event occurring will, eventually, come around to it occurring regardless of likelihood. You see, the odds of two individuals having the same Semblance are not _impossible_ , per se. They are just… astronomically unlikely. So all I had to do was wait until someone with my ability came around. Everything I have ever done has been to that end, to making someone like you come into being."

"But why…" He gestured around them, at the warship, her castle, everything, "Why do everything you've done? The killing, the Grimm, what you… What you did to Amber. Why do all of that? What was that for?"

"Because she wanted people to strive against the Grimm." Pyrrha hacked out, focing herself upright and flinching only slightly when the woman turned on her with a curious glare. "If she did that, then _no one_ would awaken their Semblances. But if she attacked just enough, she could push society towards what it is now."

"The Academies, the reverence for Huntsmen and Huntresses, the militarization of the Kingdoms under these things…" She trailed off with a pleased humming sound and turned, gesturing at Jaune. "And you, Jaune, are the product of all those centuries of work and effort. All that time, work, steering people into places and hemming Humanity in to gather their desperation… All for this payoff."

"You…" He blinked in realization, shoulders sagging under the sheer weight of it. Of everything shifting all at once and falling into place, "You were _lonely_?"

"I didn't care who it was. Human, Faunus, male, female… You could say, perhaps, that I was lonely." She sighed, grimacing and chewing her lip slightly, "That seems a bit… weak of a word, though, to me. 'Lonely'."

"I can't believe this…" He whispered, shaking his helmed head and looking to the ground, then to Hazel's body."He died, and so many others have… Because you were lonely."

"I know it seems a poor reason to you, Jaune, but…" She sighed, "You haven't experienced my loneliness. I only began this plan after near a thousand years, alone, on this continent. I kept the Grimm mostly pacified for centuries, until the first Faunus War started, then I started using them to keep that from happening… And then I had this idea. The desperate idea that if someone could understand me, maybe I could have _something_ of my own."

"And this castle, your people, none of that was something of our own?" Jaune asked, shaking his head in disbelief still. " _None_ of that counted for anything to you?"

"And who would be mine in that way?" She asked, laughing bitterly and gesturing at Hazel, "Him? All he cared for was revenge on Ozpin, for what happened to his sister. Tyrion? He worships me, he'd never be my equal in a relationship, romantic or otherwise. Watts? He's only here for the wealth he gains for it. And look at me, Jaune?" She gestured at her face, the pale skin and dark, spidery veins, tone growing more manic and desperate as she spoke. "Who would truly have me? And even would someone be willing, how long would it last before fear of Grimm overrode whatever they were willing to feel for me?"

"And is that what you want from me?" He demanded quietly, gesturing at the ship. "Why you ordered Cinder to try and kill Neo? To get me to yourself?"

"Yes." She said, shrugging when he tilted his head in surprise at her. "I am far, far too ancient to be ashamed about what I have done, Jaune. I have existed for eternities innumerable, you think I am going to balk about what it takes to claim what I desire?"

"If you think I'm going to just-"

"I do not think for a moment that you will even consider staying with me, Jaune." She admitted easily, smiling when he sputtered out. "I have awaited a chance for this for longer than history has recorded. So no, I do not wish to force you to my side." She gestured at their ship, smiling, "Go. Tell your friends you killed this body, that I will rise again less than a year. You may even strike it down if you wish. I will resurrect just as Ozpin does. So by all means, if you wish to speak the truth to them. I will even stand aside for a year, my Grimm will fight without my guidance or command."

"And you'll just... Let us leave?" Pyrrha asked, not even arguing her claim of resurrection. They had, frankly, heard equally crazy things already, and done a couple of them themselves if they were honest. "After everything?"

"Yes." She said simply, turning and heading for her castle, hesitating before she passed Jaune and snatching the satchel of grenades off his belt. "Go. I shall see these planted in places that will destroy this fortress, but when you decide to come to me, return here."

"When? You think it's that set in stone" He asked, affronted slightly.

"Yes. When." She said with a slight nod, "When you decide to come here, and bring your friends as I know you will wish to, know they will find safety and shelter and that you will find a complete answer to your every question. I will await you as patiently as can be, but if you take too long I will come for you myself. And once that is done, I will give you the world and eternity."

He watched her leave, disappearing back through the door she'd exited previously, shaking his head and looking at Pyrrha, "What do you think?"

"I think we can't beat her in a fight… And I think she is aware of this." She said simply, sighing and holding a hand to her side under her shield, grimacing. "A simple punch shattered two of my ribs beyond my Aura… And she yanked Yang's arm off entirely. Not to mention her Grimm."

"Coming here was a mistake…" Jaune remarked, watching the others ushering a few dozen people up the ramp into his ship dressed in a variety of outfits. He even spotted "We should all be dead… We're only getting out of it through an insane, lucky break."

"And whatever the Queen of the Grimm wanting to bed you is called." Pyrrha agreed almost sarcastically, turning and leaning on her spear heavily. Like a crutch. Sighing, she looked back to him, "The choice is yours, Jaune. If you wish to pursue her and fight her, I will follow you. Unto the breaches of hell itself."

He considered it for a second before shaking his head and sheathing his sword at his waist, using his free shield-hand to press against his side in the hopes of clamping down the pain there. "Fuck it… Let's get out of here, she'll just come back if we kill her anyways. And that's _if_ we can even manage to do it."

"As you say." She said, and he could tell she was trying to hide the relief she felt at the news. He didn't mention it as they made their way back to the ship. "Where do we go after this? I doubt you will return to Beacon, with Neo and Cinder?"

"No… I can't go there. Even if I wanted to, they would never, ever find peace there or in Vale." What a mess… There was only one place he could go that would take him, after everything that had happened, if he wanted to protect them. "I want to go home, Pyr."

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 **So… This story is done, and the sequel will begin being thoroughly planned out over the next week or so. I just wanted to thank everyone who kept reading, I know I'm not the world's most amazing writer. I am no Couer, that is for damned certain, and I hope everyone can forgive that I'm not. But… yeah, thanks. For reading, and offering input. It's meant a lot to me personally over the last year this has been being made. The last Review Response for this story to ever receive will be below.**

 **Also, an addendum I decided to add, I** _ **did**_ **tweak this ending ever so slightly, removing a small fight with the other group that amounted to nothing. Not even character development, they just kill some Grimm and move on, and I am a poor writer in stories/chapters where the fight is so easy as some Beowolves would be. That's the only change though.**

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 _ **The Impossible Muffin :**_

 **Seems like popular support is leaning towards the sequel, bud. The Destiny fic will be on back burner though, and may start receiving attention randomly at SOME point. Keep the faith on that~**

 _ **Allard-Liao :**_

 **Well, you still have time to leave input~**

 _ **Arukon :**_

 **I appreciate you at least being willing to look at it and see what comes. And yeah, I wanted something concrete to come from their relationship in the last legs of this particular journey. Thanks~!**

 _ **Impratical :**_

 **Hey man, I'm blind on F4 mostly. I dunno what the problem is yet.**

 _ **Du Man Heiu :**_

 **Yeah, and I subverted your expectations~**

 _ **Guest :**_

 **What death flags? XD**

 _ **Duplicate User Name :**_

 **Try 'mutilation flags' instead?**

 _ **Pyro Puppet :**_

 **Hey man, ramble away. I enjoy every response I get, especially the longer more thought out ones like yours. Glad you enjoyed the ride~!**

 _ **Bukkake no Jutsu :**_

 **Glad to hear~!**

 _ **CJ Hoax :**_

 **Then I have good news for you~**

 _ **Cat Poster :**_

 **Meh? I was always rather patient as a teenager.**

 _ **Chaos Stripe :**_

 **I will definitely take that under consideration. And if I reach him in my LP and it is that good, I might just make the crossover at the same time as whatever else I am working on.**

 _ **Zenith Tempest :**_

 **Hey man, it's still your request.**


	47. Epilogue

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 _ **Official Supporters:**_

 **SleeplessShippings**

 **Shadie**

 **Emperor King Perby**

 _ **If you want your name on the lists of my stories and videos, head over to P a t. R e . o n and search for the Temple Walkers. Just let us know you're from Fanfiction, alright? There's a thousand of you, so a dollar a piece would really add up and help me a lot! Once I reach five hundred Supporters of any value over a dollar, I will make a concerted effort to put out a chapter of something once every three days at the very slowest.**_

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 **Twisted ~ So, I thought about doing this, and Volte my boy suggested I actually do so, and make this. It would have gone either here or been somewhat the same as the first chapter of Knight Takes Kingpiece. Shouldn't be terribly long, but you lot know me by now. If I mean it to be long, it's short, and vice versa.**

 **Annoying, that…**

 **Anyways, this will serve as a segue and set up for EVERYONE in the universe, so don't expect it to be Jaune-centric. That is simply not possible for this, and I know most of you dislike that. You tend to prefer reading his instances and his stories, and I frankly prefer writing them. Alas that the story requires a different tactic, since the scope of events is larger. The next story proper though I have a different formula for planned out, so that shouldn't be an issue.**

 **Anyways times two, hope you enjoy~!**

 **Oh! And as a note, since this is going up here rather than prior to the first chapter of KTK in a week or two, this takes place a month after the end of MG. For those of you astute enough to note that Salem promised to stay sidelined for a** _ **year**_ **you'll note how quick of a start this is, really, considering.**

 **Because shit goin' down~!**

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" _It has been almost six months now since the incident at Beacon Academy where now known White Fang operative, Blake Belladonna, made an attempt on the life of The Headmistress Glynda Goodwitch, severely wounding the veteran Huntress in a surprise attack that is reported as having occurred in her office late at night. The attack was completely unexpected of her, and as a result, Headmistress Goodwitch was only able to just fight her off."_ Lisa Lavender read off, smiling pleasantly on the great screen in Beacon's grand hall, playing in the background while students and staff milled about, preparing for Initiation. " _Further reports shared by informants with the Atlas military, and part of a punitive force sent after the White Fang after the incident, reported that not only had a large detachment of special forces, mechanized units, and a flagship general, one James Ironwood, were dispatched against White Fang forces in a region near Vale, which can't be named for reason of Valean and Atlesian security, but Headmaster Ozpin himself joined them on the venture."_

" _However, his reported death has resulted in a rapid militarization of Vale."_ She continued, bringing up a map of the city with points tagged all along the walls around the massive Kingdom. " _With Atlesian support, manpower and mechanized units, the Council of Vale has begun reinforcing the great wall around Vale. This includes minor repairs and entrenchments along the wall. Details are pending on the rest, and reports will follow."_

" _Now back to Beacon, in preparation for their own Initiation coming soon. With no Headmaster in office any longer, Headmistress Goodwitch had taken over the leadership of Beacon Academy, with Bartholomew Oobleck serving as Headmaster-Under-Office beneath her, serving auxiliary functions in the Academy as a Headmaster without actually holding the office itself."_

" _Almost as controversial as this decision, reports indicate that the team which formerly contained the aforementioned Blake Belladonna, who for viewers just joining us perpetrated the assassination attempt against the Headmistress, was not only allowed to remain in Beacon without investigation or a replacement team member,"_ Lisa paused to let the audience stew, to let their imaginations race as she prepared another long diatribe, " _But they were even allowed to accompany them to the punitive operation against the White Fang, where it has been confirmed the Faunus woman was involved with a plot to stage a terrorist attack on Vale's inner city."_

" _Finally, the odd silence of the White Fang. Operations have seemed to vanish almost overnight, ever since the punitive expedition."_ Lisa shrugged, smiling more pleasantly. " _I suppose the loss of Blake Belladonna was more than they could handle?"_

" _This is Lisa Lavender, and thanks for watching."_

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"We understand, ma'am. We'll make sure that the Grimm in the forest are thinned out well enough and plant the relic items." Weiss said politely, standing with her hands folded in front of her. She shifted her hip, her white skirt shifting with Myrtenaster, "Um, have you… Heard anything from my father?"

"Bastard keeps sending people to deliver messages to her." Yang grunted, her hands folded under her bust. A long brown overcoat covered most of her up, a thick sweater under that over her chest. Her left arm whirred silently under it, pale silver with a yellow outline and her emblem carved onto the back roughly and spray painted yellow and black. "We're kinda worried he might try and go through you, yeah?"

"Rest assured that, while he has reached out to me, I told him as politely as I could that I would sooner graduate you three and staff you than let him get a hand on any of you." Glynda answered, sitting behind the massive desk at the top of Beacon Tower and smiling pleasantly, "Regardless of his knowledge of events, you three have been… Quite pivotal in our operations against the Grimm and the White Fang."

"Hey, there's an offer to look at." Yang said with a dry chuckle, hand twitching towards a small lump on her hip before. "I mean, what even would you make us?"

"Honestly, no idea." She chuckled dryly, lips pursed as she turned to Ruby, her quiet form hovering just behind the other two and watching her listlessly. "Miss Rose, how are you?"

"Just… tired, I guess?" She shrugged, forcing a smile even if it didn't make it to her eyes. "Was up late last night, uh, you know… Studying Grimm."

"You have gained quite a fixation on them, of late." Glynda mused, smiling at her and steepling her fingers in front of her with her elbows on the table. She seemed to realize how she was sitting and grimaced, forcing her arms to rest on the table with her hands holding her elbows. "I hear you have even begun spending time with Doctor Oobleck, studying Grimm behavior and histories relating to them."

"I just… With everything that happened to us, t-to Blake?" She trailed off, eyes drifting to Yang when her shoulders stiffened, and Glynda noted it. They were still quite broken up over everything that had occurred in Mountain Glenn and beyond. "I-I just, you know… Wanna know about them. L-Like, where did Salem come from? What does she actually want? Jaune… wouldn't, you know, tell us. But I still wanna know! Still need to… "Glynda watched the girl's eyes dilate worryingly and her shoulders scrunch, her breathing picking up as she spoke, "Understand. Everything happened so fast, and normally I'm okay with fast because I am fast, but this was the bad kind of fast-"

"Woah, woah, little sis!" Yang said, turning and gently laying her hands on the girl's shoulders before she could go into a full on panic attack. The silver-eyed young woman looked up and Yang pulled her against her chest affectionately, "You're fine, we get it, just relax, okay?"

"Miss Goodwitch, if you won't be needing us further, I would like to as that we be allowed-"

"You may go into the forest to begin thinning the more potent Grimm out in two days. As for what else you do?" She shrugged, "That is for you to decide. Know that if you wish to be re enrolled a students, I welcome it. However, if you would like, my offer was a serious one. I would gladly tenure you as employees here. On my payroll, for whatever I require."

Weiss looked to the two sisters, Yang shrugging and Ruby blinking at her from the crook of Yang's elbow, and the Schnee sighed, "Thank you, Headmistress, we will… We will consider your offers in turn, and thank you for the honor. May we be dismissed to think on them?"

Glynda nodded, and the trio left. In the elevator Weiss sighed and Ruby spoke, "Sorry, Weiss."

"It's fine, Ruby." She said quietly, the taller woman bumping her shoulder against hers. The Schnee rolled her eyes, "Yes, Ruby, we can go to the library and read more of that book you found. After we make sure Yang runs maintenance on her arm."

"Oi!" Yang barked in protest, holding her arms behind her head comfortably. "I run my maintenance whenever the little thing chimes!" She had just finished the sentence when a muted dinging sound echoed out from her shoulder, and Weiss smiled at her smugly, "Bite me, Schnee."

"Only if you ask nicely and make an appointment with my secretary." She tossed back, smiling.

"Since when do you have a secretary?" Yang countered, Ruby smiling between them warmly. "Because damn if I don't make an appointment for a piece of that."

"Ugh, you barbarian." Weiss snarked, sighing and shaking her head good naturedly. "As if I would let you near me. Ruby is more refined than you are."

"Are you insinuating lewd intentions for my precious baby sister?" Yang demanded brightly, smiling and tossing an arm around Ruby who squealed a 'Hey' of protest. It was warm but…

Deep down, Yang couldn't fight that yearning for that bit of warmth that she felt was missing from the room.

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"Are you daring to question me, Watts?" Salem demanded lowly, eyes narrowed on the man. He swallowed nervously, sittin directly to her right with Tyrion across the great table on her left. The manic man raised an eyebrow amusedly, and she added, "Because you know that displeases me. And if you are as smart as you claim, you should know far better than that what I do when people displease me."

"N-No, ma'am, I merely… Wished to express my concerns, about the state of our plans." He gestured around them, at Jaune's old room they'd turned into a makeshift meeting room for them to use temporarily. "The tower is destroyed, young Cinder betrayed us, Jaune with her, and Hazel dead… I simply wished to express that I was concerned over our, er, well, your goals being met."

"My goals are all _being_ met, Watts." She said simply, shrugging and smiling. "All that is left for them now is patience and tenacity. He will come back, I am certain of this."

"Ah, yes… That." Watts groused, grimacing at the concept and shaking his head. "I can't say I understand it…"

"You needn't understand anything save my instructions to you, Watts." Salem said coldly, the man nodding politely. "Monitor that ship, keep me apprised of where it is and what he's doing. Do not interfere in any way, however. Not unless he is in danger."

"You know, my goddess mine, I could always simply fetch him for you." Tyrion offered, the woman regarding him coldly enough that he balked in his seat and scrunched down. "O-Only if my goddess wished it, of course! I-I would never go against your orders, please… Please do not scowl at me so."

Salem forced herself to smile, her features relaxing, and the man relaxed slightly, "No, Tyrion, I do not wish for him to be forced here. After so long… I won't risk him refusing my gift." She held up a hand, a small black spider no bigger than her thumb curled there comfortably in her palm, "The symbiote is almost ready. Once he has more fully matured his power, and can dominate it, I can grant him eternity."

"His power is what that needs?" Watts asked curiously, eying the small creature curiously. She hummed, and he smirked, "I do wish you would let my scientists look it over. Their results in Aura experimentation went splendidly, perhaps they could-"

"No." She cut him off, closing her hand around it protectively and leveling a hot glare at him. "These creatures are not something I wish to be known to anyone but those at this table. It's rarity is a trademark of the worth of its gift. And its gift is not something I shall allow humans to spread around. Now leave me, both of you."

The two stood, leaving quickly as she demanded, and once they were gone she rose and made her way to the large couch in front of the television monitor she'd once moved in for Jaune. Sitting there, she sighed and ran her hands along the fabric. Shifting, she laid her head down and closed her eyes, sighing to herself.

"Soon… Alone no longer, very soon." Those fools could believe as they wished. Once she had Jaune, she would need them no longer. Their power combined? They could do anything they wished. Jaune would be hers… And she'd burn the world to prevent herself being lonely for so long again.

Starting from Vale.

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"No, sir. I had no idea that the White Fang had such a… large amount of ships at their disposal. My reports indicated they might possess a light frigate, but no more. And certainly no air support beyond that." James said, standing at attention in front of the screen to address the rest of the Atlesian Council. Technically, he didn't need to call them 'sirs' but it was ingrained at this point. "Had I known, my plan would have been either altered or delayed to await a reinforcing unit."

"Then it wasn't a lapse in judgment, just a failure of command." An old, wiry woman chided, clicking her tongue condescendingly in what appeared to be her home, a kitchen visible in the background. "Truly, an equal disappointment to a simple lapse in judgment."

"Indeed." Her counterpart and the other member of the Atlesian Council in the meeting, a squat round man in an office of some kind, added with a tired sigh that fit his droopy face and sad, watery little eyes. "Honestly, I would have preferred a simple little lapse. That happens to the best of us, even military folk like you and I."

"Yes, sir. I am surprised not to have succeeded as I hoped as well." Friggin' armchair officers. He truly hated them the most. "But about my reinforcements?"

"On the way." The woman sighed, "Try not to waste your effort this time? Or our money?"

"Understood." James smiled. While Ozpin's away... Perhaps, the general should play? At the very least, he could get _something_ done until the man came back.

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Adam sat in his spartan room, kneeling on the carpeted floor, and stared. Long and hard. Straight down, at the twisted, broken metal before him on the floor. Wrapped in a tattered White Fang flag, and bent into an unrecognizable shape, even Adam had only distinguished it by the emblem on the side, twisted and burned as it was.

Running his finger along the pink image, he growled, "Blake…"

"Sir." A White Fang soldier said, pushing his door open enough to step in. Adam barely turned his head to regard him, the soldier taking that as his cue to speak, "Sir, we've rounded up the people who were in charge of the train, as you ordered."

"And they've been disarmed, I hope?" He asked, folding the cloth over the metal and rising with it in his hands. The soldier nodded and Adam moved to his dresser, the only piece of furniture on the room aside from a mirror hanging on the wall by the door and his bed. "Good. Insure that they are gathered, and then order our loyal, good soldiers away."

"Yes, sir." The soldier answered, turning and letting the door shut behind him.

Letting his hand linger on the metal wrapped in the linen, he moved it to the grip of his sword resting atop the dresser and moved it to his hip, "You will be avenged Blake. First on these traitors for abandoning you, failing you... And then on the Humans."

 _All_ of them would die in Vale. They wouldn't even have the honor of serving the Faunus.

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" _Are you sure I shouldn't, you know,"_ Jaune watched Neo frantically gesture at her hair, the brown and pink swirl clearly what she meant. " _It's… kind of out there, isn't it?"_

"It's fine." He chuckled, leaning against one of the control panels of the bridge while Roman piloted it and he watched her flit about in a panic. Around them, the dark green forests and mountains flowed under them.

"Yeah. Doubt the kid's parents are gonna be fixated on your hair. You know, when we park an Atlesian warship next door?" Roman chuckled, rolling his eyes and looking at Jaune. "They better not." " _Or I'll un-retire and steal their friggin' house."_

"Relax, Roman." Jaune dismissed, watching the girl practically crawl into a large chest of clothes, wriggling around trying to find something. "And Neo, be careful! Your back is still not quite up to how it should be, so stop wiggling around on it before you hurt yourself."

She turned around just long enough to flip him off, " _Just enjoy the view or help me pick out an outfit!"_

"Just wear what you always do, Neo."

"Kid, you don't understand women at all, do you?" " _And they call you a friggin' psychic…"_ Roman chided him, shaking his head, "Neo, darling, wear the one on the left at the bottom! Got a little embroidery on the chest, like white outlining."

" _Perfect!"_ She giggled mutely, standing and sliding out of her pants to change out the leotard without a care for either of the men. Turning around when she had slid the leotard on, she gave Jaune a twirled around, " _White, since you're an Arc and you wear white, see? Roman is brilliant when it comes to fashion."_

"It looks like the one you always wear, though." Which was mostly true. It looked thinner, true, probably not made for combat like her old one. Which meant it hugged her curves a bit more snugly, which Jaune quite enjoyed. White bordered the textured material, thin likes surrounding her bust and accenting it, lining along the top where her breasts showed a bit. The line outlined her hips and edged around her behind as well, and it was a force of will not to let his eyes linger there. She pouted at him, and he sighed, "But you look beautiful, Neo. My parents will love you."

That soured her mood slightly, the woman resting on the edge of the chest and pulling her pants up, " _I hope so…"_

"They will." He said, pushing off the console and moving across the bridge to her. Pulling her head against his stomach he held her there affectionately, twirling a strand of her hair in between a couple finger tips. "Trust me, okay? Once they know what you two have done for me, they won't want anything bad happening to you. My mother in particular is kind of…" Insane, "Interesting."

"Interesting how, kid?" Roman asked boredly, aggravation from not being able to get a smoke in on the bridge echoing out from him and into Jaune.

"She's… Kind of manic, sometimes, honestly. Protective as hell too." He felt Neo relax into his chest and smiled to himself. Talking about his family was relaxing her, for some reason. The unknown tended to be frightening to people, that was something he'd learned in the near-year since his Semblance had awoken. "Once she finds out everything you guys have done for me and… About, you know, us, she'll be protective of you and grateful to Roman."

" _Keep talking about your family…"_ Neo asked quietly, even for a mental voice. Smiling, he started talking about whatever he could think of. From his sisters, to his father, and then even about the village itself when Roman told him they were closing in.

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	48. Sequel Announcement

The sequel is up~ A quick note I was advised to make.


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